Legend of Lugia: Purest of Souls
by Adriyel-chan and Happy-Furret
Summary: Henri, a trainer with many secrets, dreams of being a doctor. Kat, a wild girl with an unknown past who despises trainers. One injured Pokemon, one chance encounter leads to the adventure of their lives. *Updated Weekly*
1. Chapter 1 Henri

The body in my arms was thin, unnaturally so. The white and blue fur was unkempt and dirty, and he was frightfully underweight. I had never raised, or even been around a Glaceon before, but I knew that the average weight of a Pokémon his size was between 50 and 60 lbs. Aluriel couldn't have weighed more than 30, and that was pushing it. I felt another surge of anger at _that girl_. How could anyone mistreat their Pokémon like this?

A whimper caught my attention, interrupting my anger.

"Shh. Its' okay now, Aluriel. Once we get to the lab, we'll get you better." I spoke soothingly, trying not to frighten the poor thing. I kept up the calming talk, as I walked as fast as I dared to Prof. Elm's lab. Shimmer, my Lucario, kept pace with me. He was silent, and his eyes were focused. He was never like this, unless he was angry, and I knew that we were both furious about the state of the poor Glaceon.

The town was quiet, and I didn't see anyone around, but I ignored it. The lab was directly on my left, and I made a beeline for it. The door was promptly kicked open, courtesy of Shimmer, and I rushed in.

"Professor!" I yelled. There was a crash, the sound of glass shattering. "Professor, please! You've gotta help!" There was a flurry of activity, but I finally saw Prof. Elm. He looked nervous at first, and rather flustered.

"Wha-... Who-...I mea-..." I didn't let him finish.

"Professor, please! He's very weak!" He finally looked at the Glaceon in my arms. I could see the color drain from his face, and something like anger take place of the nervousness. He grabbed my arm, pulling me deeper into the lab.

"Hurry! We need to get him into a Reviver!" I wasn't sure what the two assistants were doing behind me, but I didn't have time to look as Professor Elm pulled me into a room off of the main hallway. The room was huge, but was mostly taken up by the Pokémon Reviver. The professor left my side to activate the machine, and the containment part of the machine opened up, allowing me to place Aluriel, very softly, into the chamber. Elm then swiftly, but gently, fixed an oxygen mask to Aluriel's muzzle.

Despite our care, I could tell that he felt pain from the jostling. I felt another surge of anger, enough that my vision became red around the edges. I felt a paw on my arm, Shimmer reminding me to calm down. Watching as Professor Elm finished all the minor adjustments, and started the machine, I sighed in relief, as my Glaceon's breathing became less labored, and his body relaxing more into the padding of the chamber.

Then Professor Elm rounded on me. From everything I'd heard about this particular Professor had led me to believe that he was a timid and rather distracted man. The look he gave me now was anything but timid or distracted. The sharp gaze reminded me fiercely of Professor Rowan.

"Now, would you like to tell me exactly how this poor Glaceon came to be in this condition?" It was a question, but the tone made it a demand. I opened my mouth to say something, when I found myself flying through the air and slammed into the wall. I curled into myself, gasping for air and feeling tears prick at the corner of my eyes.

"Kat!" I heard Prof. Elm shout. I raised my head to look at whatever had tackled me into the wall. To my utter surprise, it was a girl. At least, I think it was. I couldn't see much of her, because my glasses had gone flying off my face during the attack. Her clothes were variations of pink, white and brown with a streak of red and brown hair which, oddly enough, looked like she had ears on top of her head. Her stance was furious, and she bared her teeth like a Mightyena might.

She dropped into a crouch, muscles tensing, and I knew she was planning on attacking again. As she rushed at me, I dodged to the side, causing her to slam into the space of the wall I had previously occupied. She was dazed from her headlong crash, and I used the time to get into a defensive position.

There was a flurry of movement around me, but my training had taught me to only focus on the threat. I glanced at Shimmer out of the corner of my eye. He was looking at me, realizing that I was going to fight this by myself. My focus quickly returned to the girl, Kat. She was shaking her head, trying to clear her vision.

I was starting to think that it would be the only exchange, when her head snapped up, eyes focusing on me. She dashed to me, hands extended and curled like claws. I allowed her to get in close, and then fell backwards onto the floor. My back hit the floor the same time my feet came up and connected with her stomach. I used her momentum to send her sailing over me, giving a push that would cause her to go out of control.

My plan fail as she quickly went into a curl, and merely rolled on the floor. In the time it took me to stand up, she was too. She growled and glared at me, but there was another look in her eyes, wariness. It made me think that there weren't too many people who fought back.

She watched and waited for me to make a move, but I stayed where I was, waiting for the next pass. After a few seconds, she rushed me again. But this time, when I dropped to the floor, she _jumped_. I had a few seconds to think '_Oh, shit_' before she landed on top of me.

My breath was slammed out of me again, leaving me gasping. The look on her face was triumphant, and she raised her hands up, curling them into claws. I tried to bring my arms up, but I was effectively pinned under her. I tensed for the oncoming attack.

Then, quite suddenly, the weight on my chest vanished. I heard the girl shout in confusion and anger. I looked up and had to stop myself from laughing.

It seemed that, during our fight, the assistances were trying to break us apart. One finally got tired of it, and had release her Victreebel, and ordered it to separate us. The girl, Kat, was hanging upside-down in the air, tangled up in vines. She was desperately trying to gnaw through the vines, and was having little success. Prof. Elm went up to the girl, trying to calm her, now that she was subdued.

"Kat, you need to calm down. There was no reason for any of that." He scolded, trying to sound firm. The effect was diminished when she tried to swipe at him, and he quickly backed away.

"Sen sen triisen!" I looked at her in shock. There was no way she could have done what I think she did. Why in the world was she talking like a Pokémon? Unless… My mind went to the case discovered a few years back, of a kid who had been raised by Kangaskhan.

I was brought back from my thoughts when Kat started gesturing wildly. First to Aluriel, and then at me. And, for some reason, I understood what she was trying to say. I understood, I think, because I felt the same anger at the girl who _had_ done what Kat believed I did to Aluriel.

I picked myself off the floor, grabbing my glasses as I did so, and went up to Kat, staring her in her eyes, which I could see now were light blue. She still glared at me, but I could see confusion in her eyes as well.

"It wasn't me." She blinked at me, then a look of disbelief crossed her face. I continued to look straight into her eyes, light blue to icy green, showing her the truth of my words and the anger I felt. This contest seemed to last for eternity, but eventually she nodded, slowly.

That seemed to convince the adults that she wasn't going to attack me anymore, and the Victreebel gently put her on the ground. Now that she wasn't trying to attack me, I could see that she was about 10. If she hadn't started her own journey yet, she would soon, and I felt a bit of pity at any other trainer that decided to battle her, when she got the hang of it.

I also saw that I was mistaken about her hair. What she wore was a brown Furret hat, and what little of her hair that could be seen from underneath it was white. With a brown jacket and pants, a pink shirt and red scarf, if her first Pokémon wasn't a Sentret or a Normal-type of some kind, I'd eat my belt.

I could see her sizing me up, as well. At 13 I had almost a half a foot on her, though I was no broader in the shoulders than she was. I noticed in amusement that my dark blue hair was longer than hers by more than a few inches, as hers barely reached her chin and mine was already to my shoulder blades.

"Who did that?" She pointed at Aluriel, and I was rather startled to discover that she could talk human. But I gave a humorless smile.

"His old trainer. I just traded for him today, back in Cherrygrove." I looked at Prof. Elm then. "I was half way here when I found out that he was in this condition. I came straight here."

He nodded at me. "Do you know the name of the other trainer? As a member of the Pokémon Preservation Council, I'm going to have to report them to the police for this neglect." I sighed, knowing that it was going to be almost useless to report this.

"Yeah. She's a Pokémon Coordinator named Alexandria Silph." The color seemed to drain out of his face, and the nervousness returned in full force.

"Silph? As in…Silph Co?" I nodded silently. "Well…it doesn't matter who her family is. I'll still have to report her." Which would have sounded more convincing if he hadn't broken out in a cold sweat.

I looked at Aluriel, who seemed to be resting within the containment.

"How long will he have to be in there, Professor?" I heard Elm sigh.

"He's in bad shape. I don't very often see Pokémon in this condition, even ones that have gone up against the Indigo League. At the very least, he'll have to stay overnight. But don't worry…uh…" He laughed awkwardly "You know, in all this chaos, I haven't gotten your name." I had to smile a bit at that.

"I'm Henri, Prof." I held my hand out, and he shook it absentmindedly.

"Well, I'm Professor Elm, as you already know. This is Kat, and she's under my care at the moment. And my two assistants, Joey and Iris. Now, it's getting close to dinner, so won't you join us?" He looked around rather distractedly, and started muttering to himself. "Wasn't expecting…stew, I suppose…rice, that be good…clean up the lab…"

"Already done, Professor." Joey stated. Iris nodded as well, and Kat piqued up.

"Dinner's ready too, Elm. I helped Iris make it. And the other Pokémon have been feed as well." She looked proud. Elm looked rather startled, and he laughed.

"Well, I supposed that's that." And he looked at Kat rather fondly. "It'll be very empty here when you leave, Kat. Let's set up the tables outside. It's a nice evening. That way, there'll be plenty of room for everyone."

There was a hustle and bustle as everyone filed out. I let them go first, and turned back to Aluriel who was still resting. I leaned down till our faces were close together, separated through the glass. Then I spoke to him.

"I don't know what we're going to do about your old trainer yet. But, just so you know, I'll make sure she can never come near you again. You're my Pokémon now, and I won't let anyone hurt you. I promise." I couldn't be sure if he heard me or not. But he shifted closer to the glass, so I have a feeling that he did.

Following the voices of the Professor and Kat, Shimmer and I quickly found ourselves in the area behind the Lab. A wide, expansive back yard, backed right up to the forest. There was plenty of room for Pokémon to roam around, which made me grin. Joey was setting up chairs around a weathered wooden table that Iris was placing a table cloth on. Professor Elm was racing back and forth, but never really getting anything accomplished.

Kat, on the other hand, was arguing with… I smiled, looking at the small Furret. It was about half the size of other Furret I'd seen and it had brown mask markings on it's face. It also wore a navy blue bandana around it's neck. It reminded me of a desperado.

While they got the table set up, I started preparing the meals for my own Pokémon, taking care to make sure that they each got their own food, and it hadn't gotten mixed together. I looked at the food I'd made, specifically for a ghost-type, that I would no longer need. I shrugged then placed it back in my pack. No reason to let it go to waste.

Only when there were three bowls prepared on the ground and one plate and bowl placed on the table beside my seat, filled to the brim with each of my Pokémon's favorite foods did I throw the four Pokeballs that released my team.

There was gasps of surprise from the others, as my team appeared before me. I looked at them, deciding that they were pretty impressive. None of them were Pokémon normally found in Johto, after all.

There was Chaos, my Absol. His horn gleamed in the twilight, but the tip was broken off, giving him an experienced, dangerous look. He looked around, before going to his food to eat. My Milotic, Tsuki, attracted many loving stares, for good reason. Then there was Drake my, up till recently, newest Pokémon. He was a Dratini, given to me by my great-grandfather. They, with Shimmer, made up the battling portion of my team.

"Why, Henri, your team is lovely! I don't think I've ever seen Pokémon look so healthy." Elm exclaimed.

"Thank you, Professor. I-" But I was interrupted, mid-sentence.

"Min. Min. Min!" I felt a tug on my pants, and looking down, found the baby of my team. Kyun trilled again, demanding that I pick him up. I laughed and obliged, plucking him from the patch of flowers. I cradled the little white and green Pokémon in my arms, carrying him to the table with me.

"My gods! Is that… It can't be…But it is! It's a Shaymin!" Elm seemed beside himself. I understood, though. It's not often a person sees a legendary Pokémon, and almost never do they see one that was outside their region. I didn't often let Kyun out when there were other people around, for good reason. But all my Pokémon had missed lunch when I'd discovered Aluriel's condition. I wasn't going to let any of them miss dinner, especially Kyun who tended to become almost catatonic at night.

"But how? I mean, so rare!" I sat down at the table, next to Shimmer, placing Kyun on the table next to my plate.

"Well, Professor, that is an interesting story." And while hand-feeding Kyun pieces of chopped-up fruit, I told them about my travels in Sinnoh and one particular day, where upon hearing a noise I couldn't identify, that lead me to Kyun, who had been stuck in a thorn bush on the side of a ravine. With some difficulty, I managed to get the little grass type out of that mess.

"After which, he wouldn't stop following me. Shaymin are supposed to be really elusive and shy, right? Well, Kyun had no fear at all, of anything. He must have followed me for three days. I was worried some hunter or poacher or something like that would see him, and kidnap him." I shrugged, feeding Kyun the last bit of fruit. Then I laid him down in my lap, where he promptly curled up to sleep. "So I caught him. Been taking care of him ever since. He's really young too, I can't imagine how he managed to get as far as he had, before I found him. I'm even more surprised that he wasn't caught by another trainer before I found him."

I finally helped myself to some of the stew that Iris and Kat had prepared.

"Are you planning on becoming a Champion?" Elm asked. I heard the slight disapproval in his voice. There were some people that took advantage of legendaries, and their abilities. I had heard about the mess in Hoenn, with Team Aqua and Team Magma. I chuckled a little.

"No. I don't like to battle much. I'm going to be a Pokémon Doctor." Elm looked rather startled, and a little please.

"A doctor? For Pokémon? That sounds like a wonderful idea." I smiled.

"Well, it's part of the reason I'm here. My grandfather said that it would be a good idea to first understand Pokémon in their most basic forms, and those would be Eggs. 'Start at the beginning, Henri.' That was the advice he gave me. So, do you think you could tell me a bit about breeding, and the eggs?"

Both of the assistants laughed, and Prof. Elm looked incredibly happy. He launched into a description of his discovery of eggs several years ago, and the recent discoveries made concerning items, Pokémon, and their eggs. I listened intently, absorbing as much information as I could. Dusk had well and truly settled around us before the professor started winding down on his lecture.

"Ah, but if you want to know about the Pokémon's personalities and well-beings after they hatch, you should ask Kat here. She's been caring for the baby Pokémon before and after hatching for several months now. She'll be able to answer all your health related questions." Elm nodded to Kat, who was sitting on the other side of Shimmer, talking between the Lucario and Furret. At her name, she looked up swiftly.

"The eggs?" He nodded.

"You know just as much about them as I do, Kat. Why don't you show Henri around the Egg Room, and the nursery? There were those Pichu that hatched a week ago, I know for sure." Kat nodded enthusiastically.

"There are a few eggs that'll be hatching soon as well, Elm." He looked rather shocked.

"Already? I don't think I've seen them hatch so rapidly before. Hmm… this requires some research. If you kids will excuse me, I've got some things to look into." He rose quickly and almost ran into the lab, followed quickly by Iris wielding a clipboard and pen. I stayed with Kat and Joey, first placing a now sleeping Kyun in Shimmer's arms, and between the three of us we had the mess from dinner picked up rather fast.

I returned Tsuki and Drake back to their Pokeballs. That left Shimmer, who never stayed in his Pokeball; Kyun, who disliked sleeping in his Pokeball; and Chaos, who was nocturnal and enjoyed the nighttime. He was also the only other Pokémon other than Shimmer I had that I trusted to keep watch at night.

Kat looked at me expectantly, but I shook my head.

"I want to go check on Aluriel first." She smiled, and nodded in understanding. "Come on, Chaos." I looked at the somber black and white Pokémon. "There's someone I want you to see."

We walked through the lab, back to the Reviver room. There was noise in the main part of the lab, and we heard the shuffling of papers and the professor's voice, excited but soft. Upon entering the room, I could see that the machine was indeed helping. Aluriel looked quite a bit better than when I first discovered him only hours before.

Chaos promptly left my side, as well. He stalked up to the chamber, peering in at the weakened Glaceon. His normally stoic face was distressed. He turned to look at me.

"Sol-a, absa?" I smiled, becoming more and more sure that this was the best decision I'd made.

"Aluriel's staying with us now, Chaos. I need you to watch over him tonight." I got a stare from solemn red eyes, then he nodded, and turned back to watch Aluriel.

Kat watched the whole thing. "They're friends, aren't they?"

"I think so. I've never figured out their story. As far as I can guess, they knew each other back when they were wild. It makes me sad to think about it, because I was the trainer who caught Chaos. Which means it's partly my fault they were separated."

"So, you traded for him, just so they could be together again? How did you even know they knew each other?" I laughed a little.

"A Pokémon contest, how else?" She smiled a little at that. "Chaos and I were entered into a contest in Sinnoh. Our opponent was Aluriel and his trainer. They refused to fight each other, no matter what either of us said. After that, Chaos stopped listening to me completely, kept trying to run away. He was out of control, and it didn't me long to figure out why. I was determined to find that trainer and try to figure out something. I didn't expect her to trade him to me. She didn't even care what Pokémon I gave her, she just wanted to be rid of him. I guess Aluriel was acting the same way." I smiled.

"It's better this way. They'll stay together and Aluriel's not being hurt anymore." Kat added, smiling as well. "Now about those Eggs?"


	2. Chapter 2 Kat

"Right," the teenage boy nodded, "to the Egg Room." As I lead him to the Egg Room, I had to admit, even though he looked somewhat like a weakling, he had earned my respect rather quickly. This Henri not only had strength and, regrettably, superior strategies, but he also cared deeply for his Pokémons' wellbeing, emotional and physical. He was also the first human besides Professor Birch to fight back once I attacked, and for some reason that reminded me of my first human friend.

"Eggs are a lot like baby Pokémon, but also unlike them," I tried to explain as we walked down the hall. "They require lots of love and attention to grow; if they don't grow, they won't hatch." I opened the door and flipped on the lights in the Egg Room. I could sense his surprise at the size of the room and the amount of eggs we had collected. There were thirty-four eggs in all, and that didn't even include the Pokémon in the nursery that had hatched recently.

"Wow," he blinked as if to clear his eyes. "I thought Pokémon eggs were somewhat hard to come by. If that's true, where did you guys get all of these eggs?"

"Trainers, mostly," I almost spat out the word. "Ones who don't want the trouble of taking care of eggs themselves or just don't want the Pokémon they might hatch into. A few of them are orphaned eggs from the nearby routes; with all of the trainers going through, parents are often captured."

"You don't like trainers?" it was more of a statement than a question.

"Not very many," I grudgingly admitted. We approached the table where there sat a pastel green egg with a ring of green bumps around its middle. There was also a pale pink egg with a swirl on it. I pointed to the pastel egg, "This is the one I told Elm was going to hatch soon."

"How can you tell?" Henri asked. "There aren't any machines hooked up to it."

I hissed, "Machines? That is no way to hatch an egg. I made Elm get rid of the machines when I started working with the babies." I collected myself before continuing, "I know the egg will hatch soon because when I touch it, I can feel the baby Pokémon moving inside." I showed him by gently placing my hand on the side of the egg.

After a moment, he carefully placed his hand on the other side of the egg. When the baby moved again, I saw his face light up with wonder and awe. Even though he was older and bigger than I was, I could tell he hadn't been around baby Pokémon much.

"So, how do you take care of a Pokémon egg?" he withdrew his hand. He was subconsciously rubbing his thumb against his palm as if savoring the touch he had felt from within the egg.

"Because it's an egg, you can't feed it or give it medicine," I scanned over the other Pokémon eggs in the room. The nests I had made them were all in order, so I continued, "Cleaning the egg, keeping it warm, or even just talking to it will help. The best thing is to have other Pokémon near the egg as well; the baby Pokémon hatch sooner when they are with Pokémon than when they are with people. The baby Pokémon inside can see you though, so you need to spend as much time with the egg as possible."

"Wait, the baby Pokémon can see the world outside?" the boy looked startled.

"I asked Kaitou about that once," I looked down at Kaitou, who smiled up at me. "He couldn't really explain how, but they can. He said he saw me and our parents taking care of him before he hatched."

"By our parents you mean…"

I nodded, "Kaitou is my little brother. I was raised by a pride of Sentret and Furret until a little over a year ago. That's when Professor Birch found me and took me and Kaitou in."

"Professor Birch?" Henri paused as he thought. "Isn't he the one who does most of the field work?"

"Yeah, he loves to be outdoors," I smiled, remembering my big human friend. "He left me here when he had to go back to Hoenn." Suddenly, the egg on the table started to glow. For a moment we both just stared at it.

"Cover your ears," I warned Henri as I turned towards the open door. "ELLLLMMMM!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "The egg is hatching! Get over here!"

"You sure have a pair of lungs," Henri cautiously took his hands from his ears. "Is it going to hatch right now?"

"Come watch," I smiled widely. We both leaned in closely as the white light grew steadily brighter; I found myself holding my breath even though I had seen this many times before. Peeking at Henri, I saw that his face had a look of anticipation almost close to fear on it. Joey and Iris arrived and watched the egg from over our shoulders as we all waited for it to hatch.

Just as suddenly as the glow had begun, it reached its peak and then suddenly vanished to reveal the baby Pokémon sitting on the table. A pair of big red eyes were gazing directly into mine. The pale body looked rather plump, and she had a broad leaf on the top of her head.

"Chi, Chiko!" the baby Chikorita smiled.

"Hello, Chikorita. I'm Kat. It's nice to meet you, too," I reached out to pet her. The baby Chikorita leaned into my hand, quite enjoying the attention.

"I'm here! I'm here!" Elm came skidding into the room. With a glance at the table, his face comically fell, "Aw! Did it hatch while I was gone again?"

"Sorry, Elm," I shook my head, "but you really get too distracted for your own good. I warned you that the egg was going to hatch soon. If you had come earlier with me and Henri, you would have gotten to see her hatch yourself."

"Her?" Iris asked. "You sure, Kat?" She scribbled furiously on her clipboard.

"It's a girl," I swept the baby into my arms. "Elm, this other egg will hatch sometime tomorrow afternoon. If you'd come by then, I'm sure you'd get to see that one hatch yourself. I'm going to take this one to the nursery and pick up some formula. Henri, you want to see the other babies?"

"You bet," he grinned. I was liking this Henri more and more. The nursery was attached to the Egg Room, so we simply stepped through the connecting doorway and we were there. The youngest baby Pokémon were all in a cushioned playpen in the nearby corner; there was a Magby, three Pichu siblings, and a Poliwag. In a bigger playpen in the middle of the room were the rest of the baby Pokémon: four Pidgey, two Sentret, two Igglybuff, a Cleffa, and a very timid Mankey, all of various ages.

"There are so many of them!" Henri glanced around. "Kyun by himself can be a handful if he wants. How do you manage to take care of all of them?"

"Joey and Iris are the ones who taught me most of what I know about taking care of the babies," I replied. "Kaitou and the other Pokémon help out as well, so it's really not all that hard. The babies in the corner are very young, and we have to feed them around the clock. Each baby has different needs, and you have to learn them as time goes by. The Magby is a crybaby and will set things on fire with his tears, but the boy Pichu can get into a lot of trouble if he's left alone for too long.

"The others are a bit older, but still too young to be left on their own for long. As they get older I step in and teach them how to gather food and protect themselves from other Pokémon. We take them outside for most of the day and only bring them in when it starts to get dark. When they're full grown, they are given the choice to stay here at the lab, join a trainer on a Pokémon journey, or return to the wild."

By this time, Joey and Iris had joined us in the nursery, but Elm remained behind checking the other eggs with that dreadful machine of his. He claimed that it could detect when eggs were getting close to hatching, but I personally disliked the loud beeping it made being so close to the babies.

"Kat has been one of our greatest assets with the rescue and release program," bragged Joey. "Without her, we don't know if any of the Pokémon would be able to survive on their own in the wild."

"She's also been a big help for the police," Iris scanned over her clipboard. "She interprets for the baby Pokémon and sometimes helps Officer Jenny catch Pokémon poachers that took away the parents."

"That was only that once," I interrupted. "The other poacher got away."

"Even so, that's very impressive," praised Henri. "You have many useful skills; I bet you'd be a good Pokémon trainer yourself since you can understand them so well."

"I hadn't ever thought of it like that," I mused. Even though I disliked Pokémon trainers, much of that scorn developed from their ignorance of their Pokemons' needs. If I were to be a Pokémon trainer, I would never have that problem. I glanced at Kaitou to see what he thought of this, but he was too busy entertaining the babies by making funny faces to pay attention.

"It's getting late, we should put the babies to bed," suggested Iris. Nodding, I went to set down the newest addition to the lab. When her feet touched the playpen floor, the Chikorita started a dreadful wail. I quickly scooped her back up into my arms.

"Chi-Chi-Chi," sniffled the baby as she calmed down. To my shock, she was calling to me like she would to her mother.

"Looks like you've got yourself an imprinter," Joey laughed. I groaned.

"An imprinter?" Henri looked confused.

"Sometimes a baby Pokémon will imprint on the first living thing it sees and assume that person or Pokémon is its mother," Iris was writing on her clipboard again. "We're still trying to discover what it is that causes imprinting, and if what the baby sees in its egg has anything to do with it. Kat, you were the one taking care of the batch of eggs that had this Chikorita in them, weren't you?"

"Yeah, this was with the other rare Pokémon eggs," I nodded. "You mean she imprinted on me when she was in the egg?"

"It's possible," muttered Iris.

"In any case," Joey patted my back, "it looks like you're not going to be sleeping a full night for awhile. Let's get her some formula and then settle our guests down for the night. Do you want to leave your Pokémon outside their pokeballs, Henri?"

"If it's not a problem, the ones I left out already," nodded the stranger. I grabbed a bottle of formula and began feeding the- _my_ baby Chikorita.

"We have plenty of room," Joey led the way to the spare room that usually housed trainers passing by. Henri took a bed in the corner, while his Lucario settled down in the bed next to him with the Shaymin in tow. Absol would not leave his Glaceon friend, so I made a rough nest out of some blankets for him and set it where he could watch over his friend. The Glaceon looked marginally better than when we had checked on him earlier, but it would be a long night before he was well enough to travel.

Uneasy about the Glaceon's condition, I made myself a nest in the room next to the one I had made for Absol. I would have to get up every few hours to check on the baby Pokémon anyway, so I'd keep an eye on his recovery as well. When I placed the baby Chikorita on the nest, she didn't cry this time. Kaitou was probably jealous of all the attention I was giving her, but he lay down to sleep next to her anyway. Just like my Furret mother used to, I curled myself around the two Pokémon children; from there, I slowly drifted into a dreamless sleep.

The first time I woke, I had to feed all of the very young Pokémon and I only checked on Glaceon briefly. The second time, I made my rounds through the entire lab before I settled back down to sleep. I woke three more times before the sun began to rise, and each time the Glaceon was looking better and better. By the time the sun began to show itself over the horizon, the babies were done sleeping and I had to leave Absol in charge of keeping an eye on the Glaceon. The grim white and black Pokémon hadn't taken his gaze off of his friend for most of the night, and I doubt he had slept at all.

"Henri?" I walked into the spare room. There was a swift movement in the corner and I saw the half-dressed trainer.

"Kat!" he quickly pulled on his shirt. "You should knock before entering a room."

"This is where I live, why should I knock?" I frowned.

"Forget it," he gave up. "How's Aluriel doing?"

"Better, I was going to ask you what he might like to have for breakfast," I smiled.

"Um…" he paused. "I'm not sure. Since I just received him in a trade, I haven't even made him some of his own Pokémon food yet."

"I'm sure Iris will know something about it," I offered. "She'll be up in the nursery by now."

"You go ahead, I'm going to check on him," the blue-haired boy rushed from the room. His Lucario picked up his Shaymin and followed him from the room. From what I had learned last night, his Lucario was a Pokémon with a strange sense of humor, and he had gotten along splendidly with Kaitou. In fact, I had rather liked all of Henri's team. I decided I would grab some of the apricorn juice Iris and I had made the other day as a treat for the visiting Pokémon.

Iris wasn't in the nursery as I had thought, but in the kitchen. She helped me pick out some food and juice for all of Henri's Pokémon and my own two partners. Kaitou and the baby Chikorita helped by carrying the dishes for everyone. Henri was still in the recovery room when we found him, but there was good news.

"Aluriel is doing much better after his overnight stay," Elm pronounced as he gave the Glaceon some food. "He'll need to remain here for awhile longer before we have him doing anything too strenuous. We don't want to push it." Henri nodded thoughtfully as he glanced at his Absol.

"I brought breakfast for everyone," I cut in. We all managed to get outside to the tables and I began to fill the bowls Kaitou and Chikorita had brought. Henri called out his team and we argued briefly over whose Pokémon food to feed them. He finally gave in and agreed to let his Pokémon try the food I had made myself, and they seemed rather pleased, much to my delight.

"What's this?" Henri sloshed the pitcher of juice around while peering inside.

"That's apricorn juice," I snatched it away from him. "It's a special treat for Pokémon, but I don't know what flavor your Pokémon like."

"Oh, it's like poffins?" he asked.

"Yes, they are rather like the poffins from where you came from," Elm began blabbing. "Because there are fewer berries in this region, we use apricorns that grow on trees instead. They are much harder than berries, and their rinds can be made into special pokeballs by a specialist here in Johto."

"Professor," Iris interrupted him, "there's an urgent call for you." Henri began to pour out samples of the apricorn juice for his Pokémon and Joey went to take care of the other Pokémon in the lab. With the flurry of activity, I slipped away to feed the baby Pokémon and make another round of the lab. With everything in order, I proceeded to check all of the eggs for movement. I was only about halfway through when Joey came and brought me to Elm.

"Kat, I have a favor to ask of you," Elm flustered. "One of my associates, Mr. Pokémon, has acquired a very rare egg we believe to be a Togepi."

"We need you to go to his house past the next town to go pick it up," continued Iris. "Since you're usually the one we send to scout for orphaned eggs, you shouldn't have any problems finding the place. You should probably take Kaitou and the Chikorita with you since they'll only cry the entire time you're gone."

"Henri, I know this is a bother, but can we ask you to go with Kat?" Joey turned to the teenage boy.

"Me?" Henri pointed at himself.

"Well, normally it's not a problem for Kat to run around by herself," Iris frowned at me, "but lately she's taken to harassing any Pokémon trainers she comes across. We don't want her to get all riled up and attack someone like she did with you."

"Hey!" I growled. Henri's Lucario had forgiven me for attacking his master, so this was totally unfair.

"I'll keep an eye on her," agreed Henri. "I'll leave Aluriel and Chaos here with you then, Professor." Elm nodded and I turned and stomped away with Kaitou and the baby Chikorita in tow.

"Hang on a second, Kat," Elm dug in the pockets in his lab coat. "I want you to have these." He handed me six pokeballs, one of which was a pale pink in color, and one of those strange boxes he called a Pokedex.

"Pokeballs? A Pokedex?" I took them.

"Since she imprinted on you, you have to take the baby Chikorita for now," Iris informed me. "Joey painted the pink pokeball just for her. But the professor has agreed to let you have your very own Pokémon companion; you'll get to start your own Pokémon journey with one of the Pokémon Professor Elm has available."

"Cyndaquil, Totodile, and Chikorita are the ones you get to choose from," Joey motioned for the three Pokémon to come over. "You've played with all three of them here at the lab before."

"You mean I'm going on a journey?" I blinked. "With my very own Pokémon?"

"Choose any Pokémon you like," smiled Elm. I looked at the bashful Chikorita, aloof Cyndaquil, and hyper Totodile I had played with many times before. Thinking, I glanced at Kaitou to see which he would prefer to play with. Kaitou looked at me and shook his head once, getting that determined look. I understood immediately.

"Then I want to take my Chikorita," I picked up the newly hatched baby.

"Oh-but-well-uh….you do understand that it will be hard to raise a newly hatched Pokémon to be a battler?" Elm stuttered.

"I know," I petted my Chikorita, "but she seems to be attached to me already. If I'm taking care of her, I won't have that much time to train another Pokémon anyway."

"In that case, you need to 'capture' her in the pokeball I gave you," Joey suggested. "Then you can give her a nickname." I pulled the pink pokeball out of my pocket where I had stuffed it and stared at it for a moment.

"Push the button in the center," offered Henri. When I did, the pokeball grew in size until it barely fit in the palm of my hand. "Now you would usually throw it at the Pokémon, but in this case-" He cut off when the Chikorita poked the button with one of her feet; in a flash of red light, my baby disappeared.

Seeing my dismay, Joey laughed, "She's just inside the pokeball. If you want to let her out, just press the button again." Pressing the button again, another flash of red light deposited my Chikorita on the ground in front of me.

"Miki, you're alright!" I picked her up and cuddled her.

"If you want to get back before dark, I suggest you two get moving," Iris smiled. "You should know the way back to Cherrygrove, right Henri?"

"Right," nodded Henri. "Come on, Kat; let's get started."


	3. Chapter 3 Henri

Before we left, I went and grabbed my satchel and check on Aluriel and Chaos one last time. Chaos was still standing guard over the Ice Pokémon, who was now watching everything through vivid blue eyes. There was confusion there, some pain, but there was hope shining deep in his eyes.

I smiled, happy to see him awake. His face looked so sweet, I felt like I just wanted to protect this Pokémon from the whole world; which was an odd reaction, because I was sure he could protect himself. Shaking off the strange emotions, I addressed Chaos and Aluriel, who stared at me.

"I have to head out on an errand for Prof. Elm right now. Aluriel, you're not strong enough to come with yet, so you're going to have to stay behind. Chaos, I know you'd be upset to leave him here alone, so I'm leaving you here as well. I'll be back by sunset, alright?"

They looked at me, Chaos in relief that he was being allowed to stay, Aluriel confused. I wondered exactly how Alex interacted with her Pokémon. I very seriously doubted that she ever told them what she was planning, much less asked them.

I placed my hand on the glass of the containment, as close as I could get right now. Aluriel shifted closer, closing the distance as much he could. I smiled again, completely done in by the sweet act.

Chaos moved, shifting so that he leaned, very slightly, against my side. Chaos was never one for physical affection, not like Tsuki, Kyun, Shimmer or even Drake. The little pressure against my side was his equivalent of a full-blown hug, and made me even happier.

"I'll see you both tonight, alright?" I heard a snicker behind me, and turning around, I saw Kat. She smiled at me, mirth dancing in her eyes.

"You don't have to worry about them, you know. Elm may be distracted, but Pokémon are his passion, he won't forget about them. Not to mention, I think Iris has been done in by your Glaceon's big blue eyes." We both laughed, and with a last wave, I went with Kat to collect my other Pokémon.

"Well, she's not the only one. And I'm going to worry about them no matter what. They're my Pokémon, my family. Even if I did catch them, even if I just got Aluriel, we take care of each other. They're as much my family as my mom and dad." I grinned, thinking of the last three years, and how my family had grown.

"You really believe that?" There was shock and confusion on Kat's face. I looked at her a moment, trying to understand why it seemed so strange to think that way. I knew she felt the same way. Was it so odd for a trainer to feel that way too?

"Yeah, I honestly believe that. In my family, Pokémon have always been considered as much family as any brothers or sisters. I was literally raised with Shimmer. He was my first Pokémon; I got him when I turned five."

She was quiet after that, with a contemplative look on her face. I left her to her thoughts. When we rounded the corner to the main part of the lab, I saw Tsuki and Drake playing a game of tag, weaving in and out of the tables, chairs, and filing cabinets. Shimmer was watching the two, while Kyun jumped up and down, trying to get Shimmer's attention. The instant I stepped into the room, Kyun sprang to me, trilling happily.

I picked up the little legendary, laughing when he started licking my face. Tsuki and Drake stopped their playing, looking at me.

"We have an errand to do, guys. We're going to pick up an Egg for Prof. Elm. So it's time to get going now." Noticing their disappointment, and their confusion for our two missing members, I quickly assured them. "We'll be coming back tonight. But we have to head out. Chaos is staying here for now, he's looking after…" I pause, unsure of how to describe Aluriel, when, except for Shimmer and Chaos, my Pokémon hadn't met him. "…a friend."

Kat looked at me oddly, probably wondering why I hadn't told them about Aluriel yet. I shrugged at her. She rolled her eyes, sighing. Instead she said.

"Are you ready? It'll be dark before we get back if we don't head out now."

"Yeah. We can go now." I grabbed the Pokeballs, returning Tsuki, Drake and Kyun.

Walking out of the lab, Kat and I made our way to Rt. 29. Looking around, I took in the scenery.

There were a few people out and about in the town, and they looked at me with some curiosity. This was the only passage between Kanto and Johto, not to mention the home of a rather famous Professor, so they were used to strangers. They glanced at me, and then went on their business.

There were also Pokémon running around, both within the town and in the forest surrounding it. There were quite a few kids who were playing with their parents Pokémon, and on the outskirts there were Pidgey, Rattata, and Wooper running in and out of the forest. High in the trees, behind the lab, I saw flashes of red, making me think of Ledyba.

The day was warm, the sky blue and sunny. I groaned at this, because that meant the trainers would be out in full force. I could only hope that we don't meet anyone who wanted to make a name for their selves.

"What's the matter? We only just got on the road." I saw Kat give me a look, wondering about my distress. I rubbed my forehead, already worrying about the possible problems for this trip, as the town fell away behind us, and green meadows and the forest closed around us.

"Trainers." I sighed. She looked even more confused.

"What about trainers? We're not trainers, there's no reason to bother us." I looked at her, trying to decide if she was serious or not. She continued to stare at me, face blank, as we kept on walking.

"Kat…" I paused, thinking of how to put this. "Any person who owns and carries Pokémon is considered a trainer. Whether they like to battle or not." Her face was so comedic and shocked, I had to stop myself laugh.

"You mean, I'm a trainer? How's that possible? Trainers battle…" The way she said it made it seem the most obvious thing in the world. "I don't battle Kaitou or Miki! They're just babies!" She was getting indignant and slightly angry, and she was scowling. I was trying so hard not to laugh, not wanting to be tackled again. With a few deep breaths, I calmed myself down a bit.

"You're a trainer because you have a Pokémon, who was caught in a Pokeball. But that doesn't mean you have to battle. There are a lot of people who don't battle, but have Pokémon; Miners, Breeders, and Stylists. Coordinators usually only battle in Contests; Researchers, Nurses, and Police. None of them battle on a regular basis, but having Pokémon does mean that anyone can challenge you to battle. It's you're choice whether to do so. Most trainers will answer a challenge, simply as a matter of pride. They don't want other trainers to believe that they don't raise their Pokémon properly, or that they're weak."

A look at Kat's face, and I could tell she was trying to absorb the information. I gave her time to let it sink in, while I contemplated the likelihood that we'd be delayed in our errand and the particular kinds of trainers that were likely to be in the area.

"Bug catchers, school kids, maybe some Bird keepers…." I muttered, not even realizing I was speaking out loud until Kat looked at me strangely.

"Bird keepers? Bug catchers? Huh?" I gave a little laugh, thinking of all the things I'll have to tell her about trainers in general.

"They're types of trainers. There are all kinds of trainers that have a preference for certain types of Pokémon. Usually they'll specialize in those types, making it easy to have a strategy against them, if you have an opposing type, or what's called a type-advantage."

"Opposing types? An advantage? You mean like fire over grass, right?" I nodded.

"That is a very basic one yeah. Trainers who have a type advantage usually, but not always, win the battle. Trainers who specialize have obvious weaknesses, but they often know tricks to counter those weaknesses. They learn all they can about their favorite types, and use their knowledge to become the best trainer of their types. And when they do, usually they become Gym Leaders, and teach others all about their favorite types."

"Trainers do? They teach people?" Her eyes were wide, confused. I understood that her opinion of trainers was poor, but could it really be she refused to learn anything about trainers?

"Of course trainers teach people. There's so much to learn about Pokémon, you can't learn it in school, or not just in school. There are so many ways to handle and deal with Pokémon, and what works for one Pokémon might not work for another, which I'm sure you already now. If you'd like, I'll tell you what I know. If you're going to own Pokémon, it'll be something you'll have to learn, one way or another. And I don't think that trainer facts are something you'd learn in a Research lab, no offense to your friends."

I could tell she was actually thinking about it. She kept glancing around, first at her little brother, then at the Pokeball at her side, up the road and back again. Finally, she seemed to decide, nodding resolutely.

"I think you're right. I'll have to figure it out sometime. So, could you please tell me what I need to know?" She looked at me, eyes determined and ready to learn. I smiled, and launched into a lecture about types and advantages, trainers in general and their everyday life, specialists, Gyms and Gym Leaders, and the Elite 4.

We traveled most of the way there that way, and despite my fears, we saw no trainers. I was starting to think that this was going to be an easy errand. I really should know better.

We ran into trouble just after noon, discovering exactly why there had been no trainers at all. Right outside of Cherrygrove City, we started finding several trainers, collapsed on the side of the road. They were pretty beat up, and exhausted too.

The first two we saw, I was pretty sure were the losers of Pokémon battles, and I told Kat as much. But after the third and fourth, I was starting to get concerned. I had seen streaks like this in Sinnoh, when a particularly tough trainer had made their way through an area, but by now the trainer their self should be pretty tired.

After the fifth and sixth trainer I saw, I finally went up to one, hoping to find out what had been going on. Kat trailed behind me, not really worried about the trainers, because she didn't know how unusual this was.

The trainer was a young girl, about a year older than Kat. She was pretty scrapped up, sitting against a tree with her head down. She had an air of defeat, and was staring at the Pokeball in her hands. I knelt down in front of her, putting me in a place where I could see her face. She was crying.

"Can you tell me what's been happening?" I didn't try to touch her. The blank look in her eyes told me she was in shock, and touching was something that could cause a violent reaction.

"….so strong….demanded a battle….wouldn't let us go….he hurt Shira…." She doubled over sobbing, and I left her. There wasn't anything I could do for her, anyway.

"What's going on?" Kat looked back at the crying trainer, baffled. I sighed, because it was going to delay us, but I wasn't going to leave a trainer like this one in an area where he could terrorize younger and weaker trainers.

"Kat, you wanna see a Pokémon battle? I have some trash to deal with." Kat stared at me, absolutely confused. I was sure that my face looked just as angry as I felt. "Not all trainers are bad, but not all trainers are good either. Some trainers are exactly what you think they are, Kat; cruel and selfish and absolutely disgusting. There's a trainer who's bullying and beating all the other trainers in the area. He's dangerous, so I'm going to have to deal with him."

"Why do you have to do it? What about Officer Jenny?" I gave a cold smile.

"I'm the only trainer in the area who might be powerful enough to stop him. And I doubt Officer Jenny can do much outside of her city, unless she catches the person actually doing something wrong. This trainer, he isn't doing anything wrong, per se…technically, by agreeing to battle, those trainers allowed for the possibility that something like this could happen … but there's a code most trainers follow, and picking on trainers too weak to really do anything about it…well, let's just say that it isn't done. If you're found out…." I let the sentence trail off. Kat was smart enough to figure out exactly what would happen.

"And you're the only one who can deal with him?" Kat asked.

"Hopefully someone else would have already dealt with him. I really dislike battling. But if I'm the only one in the area, I'll have to deal with him."

After walking for about 10 minutes, we came to the trainer that was causing all the havoc, not far from our destination, actually. He was standing in the middle of the road with a cocky smile on his face, obviously blocking people from passing. From his attitude, I would guess that he was a trainer who had just won his first gym badge, and thought that meant he had the right to terrorize the weaker trainers.

His Pokémon, a Croconaw, stood at his side. I didn't often judge Pokémon, but this one looked more foul-tempered than normal. A brutish Pokémon for a brutish trainer.

Kat, seeing the new Pokémon, opened the Pokedex that Elm gave her. After scanning the Pokémon, it said.

"Croconaw, the Big Jaw Pokémon. Once a Croconaw bites down, it won't let go until it loses its fangs. New fangs quickly grow into place." The trainer actually smirked at that, probably expecting an easy victory from newbie trainers, which Kat was. I, however, was going to be a nasty surprise for him.

"If you want to pass, you'll have to beat me in a battle." The trainer called out. I stared at him, noticing the fact that there was only the one Pokeball on his belt. His Croconaw didn't look tired, but there's no way you can keep a Pokémon battle-ready after so many trainers.

"Fine." I called back. I motioned Kat to stand back. "Shimmer, you up to this?" I asked him. I didn't have to, but I always felt better giving him the choice.

He glanced at me and I knew that he knew exactly what this was. This was an outlet, an outlet for my anger at the one trainer who would get away with what she did. Rather cruel of me, but then this guy deserved what he was about to get. "Let's finish this quickly, then." I told the steel Pokémon.

We got into position, about 30 feet from each other. After both Shimmer and the Croconaw were in place, things got underway.

"Croconaw, Water Gun!" The trainer yelled. I braced for the oncoming water while commanding Shimmer in a quiet voice that he could hear but my opponent couldn't. It was something of a psychological factor in my battles that I used, keeping my opponents guessing for the next move, wondering and never learning it from me.

"Dodge. Sky Uppercut and follow through with Blaze Kick." The water rushed around me, almost knocking me off my feet despite my efforts, but Shimmer wasn't hit. He was already in front of the water-type, delivering the first of our favorite combo. The larger Pokémon went soaring, much to the disbelief of his trainer, and Shimmer followed. At the height of the arc, he used Blaze Kick, slamming Croconaw back to the ground.

The combo had the effect of a Seismic Toss, with almost twice the damage. The Croconaw collapsed on the ground, unable to move after those two attacks. The trainer was frantic, completely unable to believe what had happened.

"Croconaw? But how?" I walked up to him, my voice icy and quiet.

"Now. You're going to leave this area. And you're not going to come back. If I hear of you doing anything like this again, I'll hunt you down and make sure you receive the same treatment, understood?"

The trainer whimpered, shaking. He returned his Croconaw to its Pokeball, and ran. I ignored him, and looked over Shimmer, making sure he was okay. He assured me he was fine, but he looked over at Kat, and I followed his gaze. She was staring at me, clutching Kaitou to her chest.

I was about to ask her what was wrong, when I heard someone start clapping. Both Kat and I jumped, startled. I turned towards the sound of the clapping, and saw a young (well, younger than me, anyway) boy. He had black hair, unruly spikes held back with a navy blue headband. Black pants and jacket offset the blue shirt, and a white backpack was slung on his shoulder.

"Well done. I had come back here, because I heard there was some garbage causing a ruckus, but when I get here, I see it's already been taken care of." He looked at Kat. "Aren't you Prof. Elm's new assistant? Kit or something like that?"

"Kat." She glared then nodded at him. "You're Victor, right? You come to the lab all the time. You took that Totodile, about a month ago." He smiled.

"You remember." He looked at me. "I don't recognize you, though." I had to laugh.

"I'm Henri. I'm from Sinnoh. This…" I waved my hand at Shimmer. "…is my partner, Shimmer." Shimmer bowed, and Victor returned it respectfully. That raised my opinion of him, a bit.

"You are both fierce battlers. I don't think I've ever seen such a combination before." His voice was impressed.

"Umm, thanks. But I don't really like to battle. It was just necessary." He cocked his head to the side.

"A trainer who doesn't like to battle? Then what are you doing traveling?" I bristled at the rude comment. But before I could say anything, Kat jumped in.

"He's escorting me on an errand for Elm."

"Escorting you?" Victor chuckled. "Well, it's not my business. I'm not needed here, obviously. So I'll see you around." And he walked off, heading towards Cherrygrove.

I wasn't sure what to think of him; he was polite and rude at the same time and unbelievably blunt, too. Honest in a way most people weren't anymore. We started off again, heading towards our destination.

"Why did he come around the lab, Kat?" I asked her. I really couldn't imagine someone like him hanging around a place like the lab.

"Well, I don't know him really well or anything, but I asked Elm about it. Some of his older brother's Pokémon are kept at the lab. Victor came to visit them everyday, before he chose his own Pokémon. That's about all I know." She looked thoughtful for a moment. We started making our way up a hill.

"You know, he was right about one thing. That was a pretty vicious battle, Henri." She gave me a side-long look. "Maybe I need to protect trainers from you, not the other way around…." She muttered.

"I told you, I don't like to battle, but it's not like I don't know how. And someone had to deal with him. It's not like I was doing anything he hadn't done to other trainers. I strongly believe that what goes around comes around."

She made to say something but, topping the hill, we made our destination, much to my relief. The little house was settled slightly off the road, with flowers and weird little trees around it that had odd fruit on it.

Going up to the house, I got a closer look at the trees and discovered nuts, not fruit.

'_These must be the Apricorns that Kat had told me about.'_ Noting that the branches were laden with the nuts, I picked 3 large blue ones of them and placed them in my sack.

Kat was already at the front door, knocking loudly. I winced at the pounding, but didn't correct her. There was a smell of cooking emitting from the house, and my stomach rumbled, reminding me that we hadn't stopped for lunch.

There was a rush of movement from inside the house, and a muffled 'One moment!' Some crashes, and some cursing, but eventually the door opened. And standing there had to be one of the strangest people I'd ever seen.


	4. Chapter 4 Kat

I glanced over the man in front of us. He had on a very tall black hat and some clothes that looked far too clean for their own good. From the way he looked he reminded me somewhat of Elm, which didn't exactly give him any of my respect. However, Kaitou sniffed him cautiously and jumped back into my arms with a purring sound, so I knew he was a kindly person. My conclusions were proven correct when he invited us in.

"You must be the kids Professor Elm sent!" he grinned. "I'm Mr. Pokémon. Oh, do come in! I just put lunch on the table; you're more than welcome to join me."

"We missed our own lunch, so we'd love to join you," Henri graciously accepted. Upon entering Mr. Pokémon's house, I was surprised at all of the seemingly random things that he had accumulated. Magazines and coins were framed on the walls, and piles of statues and pretty stones littered the corners. Sitting on top of a pile of cushions in the middle of the room was a white Pokémon egg with blue and red triangles on it.

"What kind of Pokémon is this?" I peered at the odd egg. I put Kaitou back down so that I could pick it up and cradle it in the crook of my arm.

"That is the egg I called Professor Elm about," Mr. Pokémon smiled. "I believe it's a Togepi." Kaitou wound around my legs, unhappy that I was unlikely to let the egg go until we got back to the lab.

"A Togepi?" started Henri. "Are you sure?"

"I found an egg like that once before, and that's what it hatched into," nodded the weird man. "It was a white egg with blue and red designs just like this one. However, I am not a Pokémon trainer; I'm just a collector of rare and unusual things. I know nothing about taking care of eggs, so I asked Elm if he was interested in taking care of it."

"What's a Togepi?" I looked at Henri.

"It's a really rare Pokémon that's thought to bring happiness and good luck to the one that cares for it," explained my bodyguard. "It's sort of like a Happiny, I guess, but a bit rarer and it's white."

"So this little guy will be really cute," I smiled. "Don't worry; I'll take good care of him until we get back to the lab."

"I'm not worried in the slightest with you taking care of the egg," praised Mr. Pokémon. "Elm told me that you take care of many of the eggs at the lab. I must say, I am impressed with the level of commitment you show in one so young. Now, how about we all sit down and have lunch."

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to let the Pokémon out so that they can eat as well," Henri added. "Kat, I'm sure Miki would like to eat, too."

"I brought some formula," I pulled a bottle from my pouch. Calling out my baby Pokémon while juggling the new egg, I was happy to see that Miki didn't seem upset about the long time she spent in her pokeball. Henri found room to release all of his team and settle them down with some food, while Mr. Pokémon gushed over how rare, pretty, and strong Henri's Pokémon were.

While we all ate our lunches, I was surprised to find that Mr. Pokémon was actually pretty knowledgeable about all sorts of things, but he wasn't home often because he was always traveling all over the world. As he talked with Henri about all sorts of things, I watched Henri's Pokémon. Although the one he called Tsuki was so big she made me nervous, all of his Pokémon seemed really calm and happy. I suppose it was partly due to them having such a nice person as a trainer, and the fact that he didn't push them too hard when it came to fighting. Allowing his Pokémon just to be themselves, he really created a safe and comforting environment for all of them to grow.

With us all in so small of a space, I managed to slip Shimmer my mug of tea without the other two noticing. Kaitou and I were getting along quite well with the happy Lucario, and he seemed to like us as well. As for the other Pokémon, they were all quite friendly to me and Kaitou, but Kyun seemed to be eyeing Miki jealously. I suppose he wasn't used to not being the baby. I suppose in the end it was the fact that he still had his trainer's complete attention that kept a fierce rivalry from starting. When the meal ended, we helped Mr. Pokémon clean up before insisting that we needed to leave.

"If we don't start back now, we won't get to New Bark Town until after dark," explained Henri. "We really should be going."

"Let me at least give you both something for your trouble," Mr. Pokémon disappeared behind a pile of collectibles. As he came back, there was the most beautiful soft ringing coming from his hands, "Here, take these Soothe Bells. They are used to calm Pokémon and make them friendlier; they also sound just simply wonderful." Accepting none of Henri's polite refusals, he gave one of the small silver bells to me and the other went to Henri.

"Thank you, I will put it to good use," Henri finally gave up. Without further ado, we returned our Pokémon to our pokeballs and left for Cherrygrove. I suppose it was because of the trainer Henri had fought earlier, but there weren't any trainers out on the paths on our way back. We arrived at Cherrygrove safe and sound, the egg still warm and protected in my arms. However, we ran into trouble as we tried to leave town.

Kaitou and I were excited to be heading home, so we had gotten a good ways ahead of Henri, who was deep in thought. One moment Kaitou was walking alongside me and the next, he disappeared in a flash of red light that looked all too familiar. With an involuntary yelp, I whirled around looking for the stupid trainer I was going to attack. Standing four yards away was an extremely thin boy with dark red hair wearing a much-too-big white lab coat. The pokeball in his hand was jerking around violently, and suddenly another red flash deposited Kaitou back on the ground next to me.

"What do you think you're doing?" I screamed at the boy, realizing too late that I wasn't yelling in English.

"Huh? It didn't work," he looked at the pokeball in his hand. "Oh right, I have to weaken it first." He pulled out another pokeball, "Go, Loot!"

He sent out a Cyndaquil. Not just any Cyndaquil, but the very one that Elm had offered to me this morning as a companion. This was the Cyndaquil that I had played with so often in the lab that I knew instantly that he was very confused and a little bit frightened right now.

"Loot, Flare Blitz!" yelled the boy. The poor Cyndaquil looked at him, and then saw that he meant to attack me and Kaitou. With a violent puff of smoke, he turned away from the strange boy.

"What do you think you're doing?" the boy yelled. "You're my Pokémon now! I told you to attack that Furret!"

"Cyndaquil won't attack me," I barely controlled my voice, but the rage seeped through. "I'm the one that hatched him from an egg a year ago, and I'm the one who played and fed him all this time. This is my little brother you're trying to attack!"

"Little brother?" scoffed the boy as Henri finally caught up with us. "What are you talking about?" Suddenly a blast of water knocked him off his feet. We turned to see Victor and his Totodile rapidly approaching.

"I was watching from the start. If you don't mind, Henri, I'll take care of this one," Victor smiled grimly.

"As I said earlier, I don't like to battle," shrugged Henri. "Be my guest."

By this time the boy had gotten to his feet, his green eyes glinting angrily. "Loot, Flamethrower!" he yelled. This time the Cyndaquil did obey him, but Victor's Totodile was too quick and dodged the attack easily.

"Monsoon, Aqua Jet followed by a Bite," Victor calmly moved out of the way of the flames. With a speed that was amazing to watch, the Totodile lunged towards the Cyndaquil with water enveloping his body. Upon impact, the Totodile bit down on the Cyndaquil's back and didn't let go.

"Cyn!" the Cyndaquil cried out in pain. His back suddenly flared up and burned the Totodile, making him let go suddenly. The Totodile danced around in pain, probably because he wouldn't be able to taste anything for awhile.

"Loot, Tackle!" ordered the boy. With a sudden determination, the Cyndaquil tackled Monsoon as the Totodile was dancing around in pain. The tables were turned when the Totodile grabbed the Cyndaquil, keeping him from moving.

"That's the end," smiled Victor. "Water Gun, Monsoon!" The Totodile opened his mouth and shot water at the Cyndaquil point blank. After a few seconds, Monsoon released the Cyndaquil and he went flying backwards from the water's pressure. When the Totodile stopped his Water Gun attack, the Cyndaquil had fainted.

"Crap, did I take the wrong Pokémon?" the boy returned the Cyndaquil. "I'll just have to train it to make it stronger. Then we'll see if a type advantage will save you. I wasn't really interested in that Furret, anyway." With that, he was fleeing into town and was soon out of sight. I bent down so that I could hug Kaitou and still hold the egg.

"What was that all about?" Henri asked. "You looked like you were about to do a bbit worse than tackle him."

"He tried to catch her Furret," Victor explained. "He really wouldn't have been in the wrong if he had; Pokémon are owned by whoever catches them in a pokeball. You really should take care of that, Kit."

"It's Kat," I briefly flared up. I calmed as I looked into Kaitou's teal eyes; he knew that this was the only way for us to be safe. Understanding what needed to be done, I pulled out one of the pokeballs Elm had given me.

"Kaitou, you don't have to be caught if you don't want to," I told him. "You don't even have to come with me; you could stay at the lab with Elm, Iris, and Joey. It's your choice what you want to do." I offered him the pokeball. With a heart wrenching smile, he tapped the button on the pokeball with his paw and disappeared in a flash of red light. Moments later he reappeared in another flash of red.

"Did it not work?" I blinked.

"Check your pokedex," suggested Henri. "It will show you all of the Pokémon that you've seen and owned. The ones you own will have a little pokeball symbol next to the name." Opening up the pokedex, I scrolled down to Furret to see that it did indeed have a little red and white ball next to it.

"Your Furret must not like being inside the pokeball," Victor remarked. "Sometimes Pokémon will refuse to stay in their pokeballs, but they are still owned by the trainer who caught them."

"I can't believe Elm gave that guy Cyndaquil," I growled. "And it looked like he took one of Elm's lab coats, too."

"You sure?" Henri suddenly looked worried.

"Yeah, I'm sure," I frowned. "Elm spilt his tea on that coat; I noticed when I had to help Iris wash the laundry yesterday. Why?"

"I think we should get to the lab as quickly as possible," fretted the blue-haired boy. "Something is definitely up."

"If there's something going on at the lab, I'm coming along, too," stated Victor.

As we started walking, I asked Henri what it was that he thought was wrong.

"I just have a really bad feeling about this," he said. "Normal trainers don't usually borrow clothes from the lab. And from what you two have told me, that kid was anything but normal." Worried now, we quickened our pace. The few trainers that were still recovering from their earlier defeat watched us warily as we strode by. I suppose that they were somewhat worried about why three trainers would be traveling together so intently; I was surprised to think of myself as a trainer. Not that I was anything like most trainers I knew, but maybe I could be a trainer if Henri called himself one.

As we approached New Bark Town, we could see that something was indeed very wrong. One of Officer Jenny's police motorcycles was parked outside the lab, and the lab Pokémon were all huddled together in the backyard. I immediately rushed to the frightened Pokémon with Victor as Henri went inside; I assumed he was looking for the Officer Jenny who owned the bike. Seeing me approaching, the Pokémon came swarming around all shouting out at once.

"It's okay! It's okay!" I tried to keep the egg I was carrying from being jostled. "Calm down everyone; everything is alright now. What happened?" Between the varied Pokémon, I pieced together something of a story.

Apparently, Joey and Iris had taken all the older Pokémon outside to play like usual, but they had left the ones that were injured, too young, or too much of loners to get along with the other Pokémon. Elm had been studying in the lab like usual when a stranger had snuck into the lab. Apparently he had gone through the nursery and egg room before finding the Pokémon that had to be kept separate from the others. These Pokémon were a Cubone, a Cyndaquil, and a very grumpy Grimer. Upon finding these Pokémon, the stranger had simply returned the Cyndaquil to his pokeball and taken him away, leaving the other two in a panic.

Furious that this boy had kidnapped the Cyndaquil but relieved that the babies had been ignored, I went in search of Officer Jenny. Victor was hovering over a Persian and a Nidorino when I left him with the rest of the Pokémon. As it turned out, Officer Jenny was getting ready to come find me as well.

"Oh, Kat!" she relaxed a little. "Have you already spoken with the Pokémon?" I explained the situation that the Pokémon had told me, adding in the run-in we had had with this same person. "Henri told me that last part and he also described the kid quite accurately. Unfortunately, that's not all that happened; Elm was attacked." She sighed, "I can't believe this has happened again. I _told_ Elm to get a security system."

"I did get a security system," Elm appeared, "she just happened to be out for the afternoon. How did your errand go, Kat?" I narrowed my eyes when I noticed that he had a bandage wrapped around his head, but he seemed to be otherwise fine. I decided to ignore Officer Jenny's last comment and answer Elm instead.

"Mr. Pokémon seems to think that it's a Togepi egg," I held up the egg. "What do you think, Elm?"

"I believe he's right," nodded Elm as he pushed his glasses back up into their proper position. "He found another egg just like this quite some time before; it was the first documented Pokémon egg to hatch under the care of a human. I wonder how that man comes across such rare eggs all the time."

"Well, we have the attacker's description," Officer Jenny tugged on her police cap. "There's not much more I can do here. I'll have an officer come check in on you a couple times tonight, but I doubt the criminal is coming back here anytime soon. It seems that a very angry Absol chased him out of the building."

"Chaos?" I blinked. "Oh no! Is Aluriel okay; the Glaceon?"

"Besides the Pokémon that was stolen, all the others seem to be perfectly fine," the police woman assured me. She turned to Elm, "From now on remember to lock your door if you're the only one inside. And please get a security system that you won't send on errands." As she left, I hurried inside to check on all of the babies still in the playpen and then place my new egg in the Egg Room with the other eggs. Then I decided that I would go check on the Glaceon for myself. It was no surprise to find Henri and Chaos with Aluriel, but it was kind of odd to find Joey in the room as well.

"It seems that everyone has been uninjured," smiled Henri as I came in. "Actually, Aluriel seems to even have improved while we were gone." Looking at the thin Glaceon, I saw that he was right; the white and blue Pokémon was looking as if he wanted to be out of the reviver as soon as possible. I couldn't blame him; although it was an amazing machine, it was rather cramped and boring for the Pokémon to be stuck in.

"I'd say your Glaceon should be ready to be out and about by tomorrow morning," smiled Joey. "Of course, it'll still be awhile before he can do any battling or traveling, but I'm sure he'd like to spend some time outside."

"You're right," nodded the doctor-in-training. "I would like to give him some time to get back to his peak before I try anything that is too demanding. I suppose that means I'll have to impose on you all for another night."

"Haha, it's no problem at all," laughed Joey. "We're actually kind of happy that you two are here, because it means we get to have Kat for another night."

"Hmm?" I looked up from quietly petting Kaitou. "I'm leaving again?"

"Most trainers do go on a Pokémon journey to train their Pokémon and become stronger," explained Henri. I was starting to feel like this boy was going to be a teacher instead of a doctor. As he explained I realized that if I wanted to be able to take care of people like the red-headed thief myself, I was going to have to get stronger. And since I wanted to also be able to protect the Pokémon who couldn't defend themselves, I was going to also have to ask my Pokémon to get stronger along with me. It seemed the only way to do this was to train myself and my Pokémon while traveling and challenging other Pokémon trainers to improve our skills.

"There's just one thing," interrupted Joey. "Me and Iris are a bit worried about having Kat off traveling on her own; she know hardly anything about real Pokémon battles and sometimes she will take down other trainers by herself and ignore using Pokémon altogether. If she's off traveling alone…"

"I get the picture," Henri smiled grimly. "I take it I'm not the only one to have been attacked without a moment's notice?"

"More like the eleventh or twelfth," nodded Joey.

"Hey!" I objected. "It's eleven! Those twins only count as one!"

"You see what I mean?" sighed the lab assistant.

"If it'll ease your minds, I'll look after Kat until she completely understands everything she needs to know about traveling with Pokémon," offered Henri. "And I'll keep her from attacking any hapless trainers along the way."

"Really? That would be a big help!" This was obviously what Joey had been aiming for since the beginning. I glared at him from over my strangely-colored egg.

"Are you kids going to come get some dinner or am I going to have to feed it to the Munchlax again?" Iris threatened as she stuck her head in the doorway. With the hustle to grab the food before it was given to the dark blue bottomless pit, I completely forgot my anger towards Joey. Victor and his two Pokémon, the Totodile named Monsoon and an Elekid named Joule, joined us and livened up the mood. We all sat around the table chatting and eating with each other and our Pokémon. I made sure Shimmer had his cup of tea again since he seemed to like it so much, and Kaitou kept Victor's Pokémon from fighting with each other. Miki sat in my lap, happily accepting the pieces of fruit I offered her.

When Henri finally paid attention to what I was eating, he was surprised to see that I preferred raw vegetables and fruit to Iris's home cooking. Kaitou was well aware of the fact that I disliked human food, so he often stole tidbits from the plates of the other humans to satisfy his sweet tooth. Most of the Pokémon we took care of at the lab had already eaten, so it was an easy affair to clean up from dinner and bunk down for the night. It wasn't until I tucked in the baby Pokémon that I finally made my way to my own bed and curled up with Miki and Kaitou.

Although I was somewhat apprehensive to be leaving my home yet again, I was also pretty excited. My little tan Furret and baby Chikorita were going to learn and grow into mature battlers, and maybe other Pokémon would even join us. It was the idea of having my own little family grow again that made me the happiest. It was long time before I finally drifted to sleep, and then it was filled with images of shadowy trainers to battle and new Pokémon to play with.


	5. Chapter 5 Henri

The lab had grown quiet sometime back, but I found that I couldn't fall asleep. Kyun was resting beside my head, asleep on the pillow where he would stay until the sun came up, chirping randomly as he dreamed. Shimmer was on the bed beside me, sleeping sitting up and curled into a blanket, as he was wont to do. Two beds down, Victor was snoring softly, barely enough to be noticed.

Except, I did notice. Each shift of the mattresses, every chirp, and every rustle of blanket had me staring in the dark, unable to fall asleep. My mind kept replaying the day's events.

The assistant Joey had convinced me to travel with Kat, and at the time I thought it was no problem…but thinking now, I had no idea how to travel with another person. Even through Sinnoh, I traveled alone, heading to anyplace that might teach me a new remedy, or find a new herb. Everything was done to what I felt was safe or right.

But traveling with another person? Someone who hardly knew a thing about being a trainer, much less how to travel safely? I wasn't sure what I had gotten myself into.

My mind kept going in circles, and I thought about going down to see Chaos and Aluriel, but there was no reason for me to be wandering the Lab at night, especially with the police watching. So instead I tossed and turned, sleep avoiding me at every turn.

"Is all that really necessary?" Victor's voice was sudden and loud in the dark room. I jumped in fright, and fell off the bed with a loud thud.

"Ohhh…" I rubbed my poor head, my body now aching in multiple places. I heard Victor laughing. "Is what really necessary? And did you have to scare me half to death? I thought you were asleep. It certainly sounded like you were asleep, with all your snoring."

"Hey! I don't snore! But I'm a light sleeper and you're woke me up with all your tossing and turning, and angsting." He snorted. I got off the floor, settling myself back on the bed. Shimmer looked at me from his bed, probably awakened with Victor's first question.

"I'm not angsting. I'm just…" I sighed.

"You don't have very good people skills, do you?" I glared in the dark, towards his general vicinity.

"Well, that's rich coming from you. You can't even remember simple names." He shrugged and laughed.

"So I'm not good with names. Lots of people aren't. It's-" The door opened, and I almost fell out of the bed again. Kat stepped in, looking tired and a bit cross.

"Is there any reason you two are up in the middle of the night?" She turned on the light, and it flooded my eyes. Both Victor and I yelled at her, protesting.

"Ask him…" Victor waved a hand at me. "He's the one who was tossing and turning and waking me up." She turned and looked at me.

"It's nothing. What are you doing up anyway?" I stared at her, as she sat on the end of the bed Shimmer had occupied. I looked at my Poke'tch, seeing that it was a little after 2 in the morning.

"Just checking on all the Pokémon, and getting the babies food. The Igglybuff hatched, and he needed some formula. That, and Aluriel's getting a little upset about being in the Reviver. It's kinda cramped after a while." I looked up at her.

"Would it be a good idea to let him out now? I mean, I heard what Joey said, but…" She looked at me for a minute, pondering.

"It should be okay. By now, the Reviver would have done all it can do. The rest will be up to you and Aluriel." I quickly scrambled out of bed.

"Alright. If there's no reason for him to be in there any longer, I'd much rather have him where I can see him." I went to the Reviver Room, not waiting for Kat. Upon entering, I saw that Kat was right. Aluriel was awake, and looking quite unhappy and cramped. He looked up at me, curiously.

"Hey guys. I'm going to get you out of there." I winked at the hopeful look on his face. "Apparently, adults don't know everything, like they say they do." I glanced at the keypad, and saw the button that opened the chamber.

With a 'whoosh' of pressurized air, the chamber opened. I gently took the oxygen mask, and Aluriel stood up, shakily, after being unable to move for so long. I settled a hand on him, trying to keep him steady, but he decided to jump down instead. He wobbled a minute, but managed to steady himself before falling completely.

Chaos walked around the little Glaceon, checking him over before finally sure he was okay. I laughed at the obvious concern. Chaos had always been the aloof and stand-offish Pokémon of my team, and seeing him being like a mother Pokémon was a little funny.

"Come on, guys. Let's go get some rest somewhere a bit more comfortable." I walked back to the room, with Aluriel and Chaos following.

Kat had been busy while I went to go get the other two members of my team. There were spare blankets and pillows overflowing the bed beside mine. Victor was looking rather put upon, as Kat had him carrying even more from a closet. She was making a not so little nest on the bed, with plenty of space for both white Pokémon.

Victor took one look at Aluriel, and dropped all the blankets he'd been carrying. He stared at Aluriel in shock. I looked at him, confused.

"What?" His attention turned to me.

"Your Glaceon's shiny." Kat stared at him. I looked down at the little ice type, taking in the dirt and the general unkempt condition of the fur. Then I wondered if sleep-deprivation caused Victor to hallucinate.

"No he's not. He's dirty. He'll definitely need a bath tomorrow." Victor looked at me like I was stupid.

"Not shiny, as in clean. I mean shiny, as in oddly colored. Glaceon are supposed to be light and navy blue. Not white and blue. You're Glaceon's oddly colored." I looked at Aluriel, realizing that Victor might be right. He didn't look like the pictures I'd seen of other Glaceon. I shrugged my shoulders.

"What does it matter what color he is? I highly doubt that the color of his fur really means anything. I mean, you don't see too many people with black hair and green eyes, do you? But no one's pointing at you yelling out 'Look! He's shiny!'" Kat giggled, Victor grumbled, and I looked down at my three Pokémon. "Come on, guys. Let's get to bed."

Aluriel and Chaos took the bed beside mine, curling up together within the nest, and I covered them loosely with a blanket. I climbed into my bed, and Shimmer sat at the foot of the bed, resting against the wall, with Kyun in his lap, curling into another blanket. I heard Victor climb into his bed, and Kat walking down the hall, going back to her bed.

With the sounds of my Pokémon breathing, safe and warm, around me, it was a lot easier to fall asleep.

~~O~~

Morning came much faster than normal, but I woke up at my usual time, just after dawn. Remembering Kat's intrusion the day before, I quickly got dressed and threw my hair into a loose ponytail before starting to make my way to the kitchen to start breakfast for my team, and us humans. Chaos opened an eye to look at me, but I shook my head, giving him permission to sleep in, which he took happily. Shimmer watched me as I left, but he wasn't going anywhere until Kyun woke up.

I met Iris in the kitchen, already preparing food for the babies. We talked amiably about Aluriel, the baby Pokémon here, and other things like that.

"Umm, Miss Iris is there a bath for the Pokémon around that I could use? Aluriel could really use one." She laughed.

"Of course there is. In the nursery, there's an adjoining room. We have it in there for the babies that like to play outside and get dirty. There shouldn't be anyone using it, so after breakfast would probably be a good time."

"Thank you. Also, is there any way I could use the vid-phone? I want to check in with Professor Rowan."

"That'll be no problem either, I'm sure. Is Professor Rowan as scary as they say he is?" I laughed, helping her carry the plates and bowls to the nursery.

"Not at all. He's very kind, actually." I hear a little scurry, and some cries of 'Min, Min, Min!' before I saw Kyun come tearing down the hall, with Shimmer following at a more sedated pace.

"Morning, Kyun. How are you today?" The petite Pokémon jumped up and down, waiting for me to pick him up. Iris chuckled, taking the plates from my hands so I could pick him up.

"How about some breakfast?" Shimmer nodded, and Kyun trilled happily in my ear. I went back to the room to grab Tsuki and Drake's Pokeballs. Chaos was more awake now, but Aluriel was still sleeping soundly against his side. Kyun wiggled in my arms, trying to get a good look at the ice type.

Victor was also up, getting his shoes on. Monsoon, his Totodile, was sitting at his feet, waiting patiently. He looked up at my entering, and cocked his head to the side, confused.

"What kind of Pokémon is that?" He asked, already pulling out his Pokedex. The Pokedex scanned Kyun for a minute, then gave a loud, short beep.

"Pokémon Unknown." Victor looked at his Pokedex aghast. I laughed at him.

"Victor, this is Kyun. He's a Shaymin, a grass type from Sinnoh." I was hedging around, but then, I didn't want him to really know about Kyun. I could tell from the conversations at the dinner table last night that he was the kind of trainer obsessed with rare Pokémon. I'd hate to see what he'd do about a legendary. He stared at Kyun for another minute or two.

"Well, breakfast is ready. You'll want to get some pretty quick." I beat a quick retreat, and walked back to the kitchen. I released Tsuki and Drake, and gave them their food. Shimmer sat at the table, already eating his. I sat beside him, feeding Kyun his fruit.

Kat passed back and forth, bringing food and formula to the babies in the nursery. Kaitou followed her, not even bothering about food. I was sure he snatched pieces of it off the plates his sister carried away, anyway.

As soon as breakfast was over, I sent Tsuki, Drake and Kyun to go and play with the other Pokémon, and Shimmer to keep an eye on them. I brought two plates of food with me back to the guest room, one filled with Chaos's favorite foods and the other with something Iris had prepared for Aluriel, that I had added Protein, Calcium and other vitamins to for his health.

Aluriel was awake when I went back there. He and Chaos were still on the bed, relaxing. Though seeing me bringing food had both of them jumping to the floor. I sat with them as they ate, watching my newest Pokémon.

I noticed a few things about the little ice-type. The first was he constantly watched me out of the corner of his eye, wary and guarded. He also stuck close to Chaos, practically melded to his side. And the last was that Aluriel ate slowly, almost delicately. It was this last thing I found truly odd. I'd never seen a Pokémon be so lady-like in the way it ate before. I wondered if that was just his nature, or if it was another side effect of Alex's training.

When they finished, I took the plates back to the kitchen, and then herded them both into the wash room beside the nursery. It was a relatively large room, with a large tub set into a counter on the far wall. Above it were some small cupboards. Opposite the bath was a long rack of towels. It was well lit, with windows set high, running around the room.

"We've got to get you a bath now." I told the Ice type. He looked askance at me. "There's nothing for it, Aluriel. You need a bath, badly."

He hung his head, obviously pouting. I couldn't imagine why he'd be so upset about something as simple as a bath. Nevertheless, I prepared the bath, making sure that the water was very cool, not wanting to make him uncomfortable.

When I picked him up to put him in the bath, he was sulking, and flinched when the water first touched his paws. After a minute, he seemed to realize the water was cool, and not hot. He turned in the sink, splashing the water around a bit.

"What, you expected it to be hot?" He looked at me, little face with big blue eyes. I started cursing Alex in my head again. "Well, never mind. Let's get you clean, and then you can meet the other Pokémon in my team."

Soap, shampoo and conditioner found in the cupboards above the bath was quickly utilized. Though it took a little work to get all the dirt out of his fur, he was finally pristine. After about 10 minutes, I finished drying him off; running a soft-bristled brush through his coat a few times, making sure to get the knots out of it, I finally decided he was finished.

"Well, feel ready to meet the others yet?" I asked him. He gave a nod, and I opened the door in the nursery, only to find Kat on the floor with Miki and a mound of ribbon.

"Kat? What are you doing?" She looked up from comparing two pink trimmings.

"Well, I was just thinking that Miki would look really cute with a little ribbon. I mean, Kaitou has a bandana. I just wanted to give her something too." I had stopped listening to her about halfway through, because Aluriel was inspecting the ribbons on the floor, with a sad look.

"Hey…do you mind if I picked out one for Aluriel?" She looked up at me, then down to the fox.

"No, I don't mind. But…why?" I sat next to her and the pile of ribbon, sorting through the satin and silk and velvet lengths.

"Well, Aluriel was a Contest Pokémon. He was a Champion, even, from what I've heard. For a Contest Pokémon, the Ribbon is as important as a Gym Badge. I didn't notice it before, but he wasn't wearing any of his ribbons when I traded him. She probably took them away." I glanced at Aluriel, seeing the sad look. "I can't give him a Contest ribbon, but I can at least give him _a_ ribbon."

Kat glanced at me, a strange look on her face. I ignored it in favor of trying to decide between three ribbons: a dark blue velvet, a royal blue satin, or an ice blue satin. However the decision was taken from me when Chaos trotted up beside me, dropping a long length of thick, bright scarlet silk trimming at Aluriel's feet. Kat looked at me amused.

"I think the red looks good." She said, eyes sparkling with laughter. I nodded, equally amused.

"Come here, Aluriel. Let's put that ribbon on, okay?" I looped it firmly, but not tightly, around his left ear and tied it into a large bow. He looked at me, cocking his head to the side, causing the ribbon to flutter.

"Ohh! He's adorable!" Kat cooed over my shoulder. I nodded, not wanting to admit I was about two seconds from saying the exact same thing.

"And now it's time for introductions. I'll see you in a bit, okay Kat?" She nodded, turning back to the ribbons in front of her.

Out behind the lab was rather crazy. Not only was there my Pokémon, but also all the Pokémon in the lab, baby and grown alike. Tsuki and Drake were playing with some Marill and Goldeen. Kyun was in a full out game of tag with the Pichu brothers, the Magby, and some Oddish. Shimmer was sitting, talking with a Persian, Iris' Victreebel, and a Nidorino.

I stepped out into the sunlight, with Chaos and Aluriel walking behind me. It was Chaos, and not me, who had my team swarming me; after all, they hadn't seen him for about 2 days now, and they were probably very worried.

Chaos had been with my team since the start of my journey three years ago. He was used to Tsuki's antics, and had been acclimating to Drake as well. However, Aluriel was completely unused to my other Pokémon. As far as I know, the only ones he's seen were Chaos and possibly Shimmer. He shrunk back against Chaos' side, trying to hide against the Disaster Pokémon.

The quick movement attracted the attention of the other Pokémon. Tsuki leaned over Chaos, getting a good look at the Snow Pokémon. Drake and Kyun came up behind her, trying to see what had caught her attention. Shimmer walked over, looking amused. It was pretty much what I had figured on their first meeting.

"Drake, Tsuki, Kyun. This is Aluriel. He's our newest family member. Aluriel, this is Drake, Kyun, Shimmer and Tsuki." I told him, pointing to each of them in turn. He walked towards them cautiously, but Kyun enthusiastically rushed towards him, trilling happily and at about a hundred miles a minute. The rest gathered around the Glaceon, talking and laughing, while Chaos hovered like a mom, or big brother.

"It looks like they'll get along fine to me." I looked behind me, seeing Prof. Elm with a clipboard. I nodded an agreement.

"I think so too. I was mostly worried for Aluriel. I didn't really know what his general reaction to other Pokémon would be." I watched as Chaos got fed up and led Aluriel out of the group.

They didn't go far, finding a sunny spot a bit away from the playing Pokémon, and laying down to rest. They curled up together again, quickly falling into a doze. Aluriel was weak still and needed as much rest as he could get. Chaos was more nocturnal than anything, preferring to sleep in the day if given the chance.

Watching them reminded me of another pair of Pokémon I owned, who had stayed together during my first year of traveling; which, in turn, reminded me that I needed to call Professor Rowan.

"Professor?" Elm looked up from observing a Grimer, with an interrogative 'hum'. "Do you mind if I call Professor Rowan? I'd like to check up on my other Pokémon."

"Oh yes, yes. Of course, go right ahead." He waved me back to the lab. "It's in the main lab, can't miss it." He seemed to finish with the Grimer, and with me, already moving on to a small Igglybuff.

I looked at Shimmer, motioning him to follow me. We walked back into the lab, passing Joey (who was now trying to herd the three Pichu back outside), Victor (who was showering attention on the Nidorino and Persian I saw with Shimmer) and Iris (who looked like she was starting to prepare lunch).

The main lab was empty right now, giving me a bit of privacy. I found the vid-phone, exactly as Professor Elm had said I would. Turning the machine on, I quickly dialed a well-memorized number and waited. Within moments Professor Rowan appeared, as grimed-faced as I remembered.

"Why, hello Henri!" The bearded professor greeted. "And how are you doing in the wide world of Johto? You're at Prof. Elm's lab right? I recognized the number."

"Hello again, Prof. Rowan. Yes, I am at Prof. Elm's lab right now. He's been kind enough to let me use his Reviver and put me up for a few days." He nodded, shuffling papers while his assistant weaved back and forth in the background. "Johto is amazing, Professor. There's so many Pokémon here I've never seen, as well as plants. There are these odd nuts called Apricorns that have beneficial effects on the Pokémon here, much like berries." I watched as his assistant ran away from some floating books, screaming. "Is everything alright there, Professor?" I pointed behind him, causing him to chuckle.

"Oh yes, quite fine. There have been a few more trainers since you left, and we've been getting flooded with Pokémon. As a matter of fact, we just got 3 ghost types just the other day." He chuckled again. But that news instantly worried me.

"Ghost types? How's Lily? Is she doing alright? She's not getting scared, is she?" He waved dismissively.

"Ah, she's not been a problem, I assure you. She's been making leaps and bounds as a matter of fact, Henri. She's actually spending time with the other Pokémon as they train. I think with a bit more work I think she'll be battle ready. Though, I'll admit that it hasn't been easy. Pokémon natures aren't my specialty, you know. I've had to call Prof. Oak more than once."

I nodded, understanding. I hadn't known what to do with Lily, my Kirlia, when she'd suddenly developed a paralyzing fear of battling. Afraid she would get hurt, I had asked Prof. Rowan his advice, and he suggested leaving Lily with him. He would try to discover the origin of her phobia.

"I'm glad she's getting better Professor. I'll wait until you're sure she's okay before I take her back, but could I see her?" There was a tug on my sleeve. "And Shimmer would like to see her, too." I added with a laugh.

"Of course, of course. Here she is, as a matter of fact. Didn't realize it before, but she has been hovering around the phone today." He stepped aside, allowing Lily to step into view.

Lily was looking very well, actually. I noted, happily, that she still had the red sash bow I'd given her before I left her with Rowan. She smiled at me, as she always did, but there seemed to be more confidence in her eyes than before.

"Hello, Lily. Are you doing okay? Are you eating well?" I constantly concerned about her, ever since I got her. She'd been so shy and withdrawn, even around me, that I worried if she even wanted to stay my Pokémon. If it hadn't been for Shimmer, I'd have released her back to the wild, for her own happiness.

She nodded at my questions, and then started looking around for Shimmer, trying to catch sight of her friend. I laughed, stepping aside for Shimmer, allowing him to talk with her. Shimmer and Lily had been my first two Pokémon, and had been inseparable. They'd slept beside each other, ate together and, before her fear overwhelmed her, battled as partners.

"She's gotten immensely better, Henri. I'm proud of her progress. I doubt she'll ever be a serious battler, Henri, but she'll be good to travel with soon enough." Professor Rowan stated. I couldn't have been more relieved. I hated having Shimmer and Lily separated like this. "Though, I've noticed, Henri you've caught more Pokémon. A Misdreavus, a Dratini, and…" He consulted his notes. "…a Glaceon?"

"Yes sir. I traded my Misdreavus, Ruby, for a Glaceon whose name is Aluriel. My grandfather gave me Drake, the Dratini." He nodded.

"Dratini are rather rare. Dragons are a tough breed to train, Henri." He looked at me, with the famous stare. "Think you'll be okay?" I nodded, smiling slightly.

"Yes Professor, I'll be fine. As a matter of fact, out of all my Pokémon, Drake would be the last one to ever give me problems." I knew, without a doubt, that this was true. Not that I expected any of my Pokémon to give me any problems, anyway.

Professor Rowan looked at me oddly, as if waiting for me to clarify. Before I could, however, I hear voices coming down the hall. Rounding the corner was Kat, Joey, and Victor. Kat walked over to me, abandoning Joey and Victor, who were headed to the kitchen. After a moment, Victor followed. He looked over my shoulder, and gave a cry.

"Hey! What is that Pokémon?" He looked at Lily, who stared at him wide-eyed. Professor Rowan laughed.

"That's Lily. She's a Kirlia." I told him. "She's a psychic type, evolved from a Ralts and will evolve into a Gardevior. They can sense emotions, and are rather shy."

"Oh, she's so cute! Did you give her that bow? Why isn't she with you, Henri?" Kat asked.

"Lily's terrified of battling. So much so that she freezes, right in the middle of battle. It's very dangerous for her. So I left her with Rowan, to see if he can help her." She nodded, but continued to coo over Lily. I could tell Lily was getting nervous over the attention. Shimmer seemed to be slightly annoyed as well.

"Well, Professor Rowan, I'm going to go now." I told him with a sigh. "I'll talk to you in a few days. And I'll send you my Pokedex info then as well."

"Very well, Henri. I'll be waiting." He looked down a Lily. "It's time to go now, Lily." He told her, gently.

"Bye Lily. I'll call again in a few days, alright?" She waved, with sad red eyes. With one last 'goodbye', Rowan hung up. Shimmer looked up at me, and gave a rather large sigh.

"Yeah, I know. It wasn't as long as you'd have liked, was it?" He shook his head, and then shrugged. Victor laughed, suddenly.

"You let your Pokémon talk on the phone?" He started snorting, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, I do. They're best friends, and until I had to leave Lily with Rowan, they did everything together. It's natural that they'd miss each other." Kat nodded, and Victor rolled his eyes.

"I swear you're such a sap." I was about to retort, when Iris came into the main part of the lab, carrying bowls and plates of food.

"If you want lunch, kids, we'll have to feed the Pokémon first. So, the sooner the better. Afterwards, you and Henri can head out if you want, Kat. It won't be yet one. You could make it to Cherrygrove with plenty of time to spare." She walked off towards the backyard, and with one last look at the vid-phone, Shimmer and I followed.


	6. Chapter 6 Kat

Henri and Victor helped me as I fed the baby Pokemon and then we all settled down for a quick lunch. Although Iris had made sandwiches for everyone, Miki and I ate some fresh fruit while Kaitou preyed off of everyone else's plates. Even though I couldn't say much about their trainer, I rather liked Victor's Elekid and Totodile. However, Monsoon came across as a rather gruff and somewhat battle-obsessed Pokemon.

After lunch I helped Iris clear up the mess from lunch and then tied Miki's new pale pink bow around her neck. Satisfied, I returned Miki to her pink Pokeball and went off to find my bodyguard. Henri was just returning all of his Pokemon to their individual Pokeballs, but he left Aluriel and Shimmer out. Picking up the little blue and white Pokemon, he turned to me expectantly.

"Kat," Elm interrupted. "I wonder if you'd be so kind as to do me a favor."

"What is it, Elm?" I blinked in confusion.

"I want you to take along the egg you received from Mr. Pokemon," explained the nervous man. "Quite frankly, the egg doesn't have a trainer to take care of it, and you're the best caretaker I've had the pleasure of training. Would you mind?"

"I'd love to take care of it, if that's really okay," I could barely contain my excitement. After receiving an affirmative from Elm, I rushed to grab the odd egg from the nest in the egg room. Everyone then followed us to the main lab room to say goodbye.

"Where's Victor?" Henri craned his neck, searching for the strange boy around the filing cabinets and people. "Isn't he coming with us?"

"He said something about looking for some rare Pokemon nearby and took off," explained Joey. "I though he had already told you guys."

"That's okay," I replied. "It's kind of a relief he's gone; he put everyone here at the lab on edge." Henri seemed quite surprised that I felt that way, but he decided not to say anything about it.

"Are we ready then?" Henri asked instead. Nodding, I settled Kaitou on my shoulder and tightened my hold on my strangely-colored egg. With me and Shimmer following close behind, Henri left the lab and started on the road yet again.

Although Henri had started out the journey carrying Aluriel, the Glaceon soon put up a fuss. Realizing that the proud Pokemon wanted to walk himself, Henri called out the Absol and let the two of them walk along side by side. The little Pokemon was doing much better, but he was still a little weak and he picked his way carefully along the dirt paths. It wasn't long before we were barely traveling along at a crawl. Henri was clearly becoming more and more distressed about what to do with his new Pokemon.

It hadn't gone on like this for long when I decided to take matters into my own hands. I squared my shoulders, caught up to the older trainer, and then planted myself firmly in his path. He came to a sudden halt with an astonished expression.

"Let's stop over there," I pointed to a sunny field nearby with some fluffy yellow Pokemon and a large pond.

"Why do you want to stop there?" Henri couldn't hide the relief that seeped into his expression as he regarded the comfy-looking spot.

"I haven't caught a single Pokemon yet," I quickly invented a partial truth. "Miki is just a baby, so I can't battle her seriously yet. And Kaitou is my baby brother; you don't want to see how I deal with most people who attack him. I need a Pokemon that I can use to battle other trainers if I have to."

I watched as Henri seemed to absorb all of this. Then he asked, "So you want to stay here catching Pokemon for awhile?"

I almost sighed in relief, "At least all of today and probably tomorrow, too."

"Alright," nodded Henri. He turned to his Pokemon, "Sorry guys, but it looks like that's as far as we're going today." As we all headed towards the sunny field, Shimmer gave me an approving smile. I could have sworn Chaos looked a little friendlier as well, but he was too busy babysitting Aluriel for me to be sure.

Once we got to the field, I discovered the fluffy blue and yellow Pokemon mostly ignored our presence. We made our way to some trees at the edge of the pond and Henri released the rest of his Pokemon. Tsuki and Drake settled into the pond as the others spread out under the cool shade of the trees. Setting my egg down on a nest of grass, I told Kaitou to look after it for me.

Releasing Miki, I could feel my nerves starting to build. I had never caught a Pokemon before, and the idea was kind of foreign to me. I decided that Miki could use the battling practice, so she would be the one to help me find another family member. Other than that, I had no idea what to do. Although his Pokemon had all settled in for an afternoon nap, Henri followed me from the shade to the middle of the field.

"Not sure what to do?" he smiled understandingly. "I never much cared for catching unwilling Pokemon either. Usually, a wild Pokemon will challenge a trainer's Pokemon or vice versa. If you win the battle, you'll have a chance to catch the Pokemon. Then you just chunk a Pokeball at it and hope for the best. Well, there's more to it than that, but these Pokemon are fairly low-leveled from the looks of things. You should be just fine."

"Right," I nodded. I looked down at Miki, "If it gets too rough out there, I want you to come hide behind me, okay?" She nodded.

"You sure about that, Kat?" Henri suddenly looked worried again. "I can have Shimmer help you out if you want."

"Miki and I will be fine," I laughed at his motherly concern. "I was raised in the wild; I'm sure I've had much stronger Pokemon attack me before."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," sighed Henri as he held his head.

"Speaking of attacks," I changed the subject, "I don't know any of Miki's moves."

"Check your Pokedex," suggested Henri. "When you've caught a new Pokemon, all of its data is recorded in the Pokedex, including all of the moves it knows."

"Really?" I opened my little device. "Let's see… Tackle, Growl, Aromatherapy… and something called Leaf Storm."

"Leaf Storm?" sputtered Henri. "Your Chikorita knows Leaf Storm?"

"That's what it says," I showed him the screen. "It doesn't really sound like an unusual move for a grass-type to know."

"It's not exactly unusual, but it is very strong," the blue-haired boy pulled himself together. "It's a very high-level move. I guess Elm would have baby Pokemon with different moves, since he is the expert on Pokemon breeding."

"Okay, so first we want to challenge a Pokemon," I glanced over the field. "Looks like there are a bunch of those fluffy things."

"Mareep," the Pokedex informed me. "The Wool Pokemon. If static electricity builds in its body, its fleece doubles in volume. Touching it will shock you."

"Alright Miki, let's challenge a Mareep," I pointed out one of the nearby sheep Pokemon. "You ready?"

"Chiko!" nodded Miki.

"Alright, start off with a tackle!" Running at the bigger Pokemon at full speed, my little green Pokemon hit the Mareep's fluffy side. With a small flash of yellow light, Miki was shot backwards a couple feet.

"Miki, you okay?" I asked my baby. Sitting up, the Chikorita burst into tears. "Maybe we should do some training first," I picked her up. "Would that be okay?"

"Chiko!" smiled Miki through her tears.

"Training?" Henri blinked. "What happened to catching Pokemon?"

"That Mareep didn't even blink at our attack," I pointed to the Pokemon that was placidly eating some grass nearby. "That counter attack wasn't even close to full-power; Miki and I weren't even an annoyance." And this way, Aluriel would have even more time to rest and get better.

"You sure you don't want to have one of my Pokemon help you out?" Henri offered yet again.

"I think we should do this by ourselves," I shook my head. "Besides, I think using any of your Pokemon would kind of be overkill." He looked like he was about to object so I added, "Maybe you guys could help us train, though. Kyun is a grass-type, right?"

"Well, I suppose we could practice some moves with you two," nodded Henri, deep in thought. "Drake could use some training as well."

"I'm not sure we can help you there," I eyed the big blue and white snake-like Pokemon splashing in and out of the surface of the water.

"Don't worry, he and Tsuki can practice together," smiled my bodyguard. "Kyun, you want to help out Kat and Miki?"

"Shay, Shaymin!" the little Pokemon bounded over, happy to have the attention of his trainer once again.

"Alright, why don't we show them a Magical Leaf to start with," Henri pointed to an empty section of field.

"Min!" the little green and white Pokemon sent some glowing leaves shooting across the field. Much to my surprise, the leaves traveled together and could even turn in synchronization.

"Wow," I was speechless for a moment. "You ready, Miki? Leaf Storm!"

"Chiko!" my little Pokemon swung her head to the side, sending leaves shooting from the large leaf on her head. With a swirl, she shot the leaves upwards in a whirling spiral before they shot across the field. I was astonished at seeing what my new baby Pokemon could do.

"Not bad," grinned Henri. "With a few more levels behind her, that attack will really do some damage. We still have a couple hours before it starts to get dark; you three keep this up for awhile. I'm going to go get Drake and Tsuki started over at the lake."

As he left, I turned to his little grass Pokemon, "You ready to help me and Miki for a little bit, Kyun?"

After thinking it over for a moment, the Shaymin agreed with a happy, "Min!" We went back and forth taking turns using our special leaf-shooting attacks. After that, I even got Kyun to show us a few of his other moves. It seemed like the little guy was warming up to me and my baby as time went by. I didn't notice when Henri rejoined us quite some time later, and it wasn't until he spoke up that I realized it was getting dark.

"I think that's enough for today, girls," he laughed. "Kyun here is getting a bit tired, and it's getting late. I set out dinner already." Looking back at the group, I noticed there was an extra Pokemon. The little yellow mouse was happily chatting with Kaitou as they ate some Pokemon food Henri had set out.

"Oh, that's a Pichu that lives here in the meadow," Henri saw my confused expression. "The poor little guy had caught his paw in some fishing line and gotten all tangled up. That's why I was gone so long; I had to untangle him. It seems he was quite happy to get some free food to boot."

"He's cute," I smiled, glad Kaitou had found someone to play with while I was training with Miki. I resolved to include Kaitou in my future training sessions. With a hurried dinner, we two humans and the Pokemon got ready to sleep.

Henri seemed to be worrying about something again, and he finally brought it up, "I already set up my sleeping bag, Kat, but you can use it since I don't have an extra."

"Sleeping bag?" I looked at the contraption. "What's wrong with the soft grass?"

He stared at me for a moment before replying, "So I guess that's the same as 'No thank you'?" I rolled my eyes at him as I curled around my egg and Kaitou, tucking Miki in close to the warm Furret. With a sigh, Henri crawled into his sleeping bag and Kyun curled up on his chest. With Chaos finally awake, he stood over a sleeping Aluriel, and Shimmer slept sitting with his back against a nearby trunk. Tsuki and Drake wound together in the shallows of the pond and fell asleep together. The little Pichu looked around for a moment before deciding to join Kaitou and the rest of my Pokemon in the not-so-little nest I had made.

This is how we all fell asleep, and for the first time in a year, I actually slept more than two hours at a time. I only woke twice to feed Miki some formula or soft fruit and then went right back to sleep. When the sun began to rise, I woke feeling very refreshed and ready for a new day. I got up immediately and began to scavenge for some food for our breakfast; it didn't make any sense to deplete Henri's resources if we didn't have to.

Although there weren't very many fruits ripe in the middle of the summer, I managed to bring back enough fruits and vegetables for all of us to have a nourishing breakfast. I carried my haul back by using my jacket as a makeshift bag, and Kaitou and the Pichu helped me by carrying some fruit as well. By the time we got back, Henri and his Pokemon were starting to move around.

"What's that?" Henri groggily rubbed one of his eyes.

"Breakfast," I replied cheerily. "We shouldn't waste all of your Pokemon food while there are plenty of edibles growing all around us."

"That was really thoughtful of you, Kat," he praised. "By the way, I think there's something different about that Pichu; he doesn't look like the brothers you had at the back at the lab."

I looked down at the little Pokemon, "You know, I think you're right. He's a darker yellow than the brothers were, and his cheeks are red instead of pink. Do you think that maybe he's a shiny like your Glaceon?"

"I can't think of any other explanation," shrugged Henri as he helped me sort through the food I had brought back. "I don't recognize some of these fruits, and are these more Apricorns?"

"Yeah, they come in all colors," I explained. "The yellow ones are sour, the green ones are bitter, the pink are sweet, the red are spicy, and the blue are dry."

"So they're like poffins," he smiled as he selected different colored Apricorns for his Pokemon to eat.

I took the berries away and began to crush them in my berry crusher to make some juice for his Pokemon, "What's a poffin?"

"It's a type of Sinnoh cookie made from berries," Henri handed out the juice to his Pokemon. "The different colors have different flavors, just like your Apricorns." I gave all the Pokemon fruit and veggies that would pair well with the juices that Henri had selected for them. Altogether, the improvised breakfast was a big hit with all of the Pokemon, and I rather enjoyed myself as well. Poor Henri didn't seem as thrilled as the rest of us, but he still had a few sandwiches Iris had made for the road.

"Okay, so I think today Miki and I will do some more training," I informed my bodyguard and Pokemon. "Maybe later we'll have another shot at trying to catch one of those Mareep, but for now we're just going to work on building up some strength. Kaitou, do you want to join us?"

"Fur!" he smiled happily. "Ret, Furret, Fur?"

"Yes, your new friend can come play with us, too," I smiled happily back.

"Pichu, Pii!" the little guy looked so excited, I almost laughed.

"Sounds like a plan," Henri agreed. "Tsuki is trying to teach Drake a new attack, so I'll probably be bouncing back and forth between you guys as you train."

"Okay," I jumped up, eager to start. "Let's go, guys!" Soon I had Miki and Kyun set up double teaming Shimmer as Kaitou and the Pichu did some mock battles together. Aluriel was watching with wistful eyes, but the ice Pokemon was still too weak to even participate in play battles with us. Instead, he lay with Chaos and my egg under the shade of the trees and took in the entire scene at once.

Today the herds of Mareep gave us plenty of room to practice in, and I took it as a sign that they were beginning to be a little wary of the training Pokemon. I was rather pleased that Henri's Lucario was such a good sport in practicing with the younger Pokemon, and I got the impression that he was rather used to it. Indeed, if he was Henri's first Pokemon, he probably had trained with all of Henri's other Pokemon as well. Kyun and Miki were getting along much better since yesterday, and Kaitou and the shiny Pichu were as thick as thieves.

Once again Henri had to come and remind me that quite some time had passed and the Pokemon were starting to miss their lunch. Sheepishly I helped him hand out the food and drinks. It was then that I noticed that the little Pichu had gotten a rather large set of cuts on his forehead that looked very familiar.

"Kaitou, did you scratch Pichu?" I whirled around.

"Fur!" my little brother shook his head violently. "Fur, Fur, Furret, Ret, Fur, Fur!"

"What happened to the little guy?" Henri gently picked up the Pichu.

"Apparently instead of dodging Kaitou's Slash attack he attempted to take it on full force," I shook my head. "You two should have said something sooner."

"No harm done," Henri handed me the little mouse Pokemon. Astonished, I realized that the nasty cuts were gone; they had completely vanished.

"How did you do that?" I demanded.

"I've always been good at healing Pokemon," the boy avoided a straight answer.

"Pi, Pichu!" the Pichu smiled up at me, trying to prove that he was alright.

"Alright, alright," I sighed. "But there will be no more battles for you two today; we'll find something else to keep you boys busy. How about a race?" The Pokemon responded with such enthusiasm, I decided that I'd make a series of races for all of the Pokemon to enjoy, including a water competition for Tsuki, Drake, and Kaitou. The little Furret was an amazing swimmer, but that seemed to always surprise people.

The first race was between the babies, which included my Chikorita, Henri's Shaymin, and the wild Pichu. Although the two grass-types were pretty evenly matched with their stubby little legs, the mouse Pokemon was out of their league entirely. Winning that match, he moved on to race with Kaitou and Shimmer, losing to my little brother by a couple yards. In the water race, Drake zoomed into first place faster than even Tsuki could keep up with. With all of the fun and excitement, I completely forgot about trying to catch another Mareep until after all of us had collapsed in the nearby shade.

"You ready to have another go at catching one of those sheep?" Henri asked. "My offer still stands if you want to have Shimmer battle one for you."

"Miki and I will give it another try," I sighed. "If I don't catch anything by tomorrow at lunch, I'll let you two help out. Fair enough?"

"Alright," agreed Henri. "Just try to remember that you are looking for a Pokemon that you can battle with. I'd suggest that you try to pick out a Pokemon with a fighting spirit from the more timid Pokemon." Nodding, Miki and I set off once again to corner one of the blue and yellow fluff balls.

"Alright Miki, use a Growl to scare off any of the shy ones," I pointed to a large group of Mareep that were huddled together.

"Chiiiiiii!" growled Miki threateningly, sending most of the Mareep scampering in all directions. However, one big Mareep stayed behind, only raising its head at the untimely retreat of all of his friends.

"That's our guy! Now, Leaf Storm!" I yelled excitedly.

"Chi! Chiko!" she sent a barrage of leaves shooting towards the sheep Pokemon. The attack made contact and with a bleat, the Mareep turned tail and began to run away.

"Oh no!" I cried out. "Don't let him run away!" As the Mareep ran into some nearby brush, I wrestled a Pokeball from my belt pouch and pressed the center button. Chunking it into the brush, I heard the sound of the device hitting a Pokemon. Excited, I ran to pick up my new Mareep. The Pokeball was sitting in the brush, rocking softly back and forth as the Pokemon inside gave a brief struggle. Then the movement stopped with a faint 'ding' sound.

"Henri! I caught one!" I scooped up the Pokeball. Miki trotted proudly behind me as I returned to the blue-haired boy and showed him my now full Pokeball.

"Good job, Kat," smiled Henri. "Did you hurt it very much?"

"Not too bad," I frowned. "He did get hit by one of Miki's Leaf Storm attacks, though. Do you think you should look at him?"

"It can't hurt," he nodded, "and you should probably introduce him to your other Pokemon while we're at it."

"Right," I nodded. "Come on out, Mareep!" With a flash of red light, a little blue Pokemon stood in front of me; it had two little feet, no arms, and a big tail. It also had some antler-like gills protruding from the sides of his head. "A Wooper?"

"I thought you were chasing after a Mareep," Henri attempted to hide a smile as he glanced over the little blue Pokemon.

"I was!" I defended myself. "Miki and I were battling one, but then he started to run away and then I… oh…"

"Did you throw a Pokeball without being able to see the target Pokemon?" scolded Henri. "You're lucky that you caught anything at all, throwing Pokeballs into the darkness at random." He sighed, "But more importantly than that, are you going to keep this little guy or just let him go?"

"Well, it doesn't seem fair to catch him only to release him again," I frowned. "And he's awful cute. What do you think, little guy?"

"Woo!" smiled the Wooper dopily. I had the distinct impression that he had no idea what he was agreeing to, but he seemed happy enough.

"Alright then," I nodded. "Everyone, I want you to meet Uebu, he's going to be our new friend. Be careful of touching him, Pichu, he has poisonous skin." The shiny Pichu quickly removed the paw he had been reaching towards the Wooper.

"Wooper are poisonous?" Henri was now looking at the little Pokemon doubtfully.

"Yeah," I picked my new Pokemon up and gleefully watched Henri's horrified expression. "Luckily Kaitou and I are immune since we grew up playing with wild Pokemon, including Wooper. Since Miki is a grass-type, she should be unaffected as well, so really me and my Pokemon should be fine with a Wooper. Besides, how can you resist such a cute, happy face?"

"If you say so," Henri made a face. "I guess we should get something together for dinner since you've all been hard at work today."

"Sounds good to me," I laughed. Henri attempted to get me to eat some of the soup he had made, but I refused as politely as possible every time he offered. Finally he ended up giving some to a hovering Kaitou so that it wouldn't go to waste. Uebu's mindless smile somewhat freaked the other Pokemon out, but Kaitou and I were used to the unchanging expressions of the strange water- and ground-type Pokemon. I figured it would take some time, but Uebu would start to grow on the others as well.

After eating, I thanked Chaos and Aluriel for looking after my egg for me and gave them some candied fruit I had hidden in my pouch when we left the lab. They were quite happy with the dry and spicy fruit, and the Absol was definitely a lot friendlier towards me than he was before. I credited this to my thoughtful concern for Aluriel yesterday and my overall good luck with dealing with Pokemon. It was rather nice to know that I could win over even a hardened battler like Chaos; of course, I would never be as close to him as Henri, but I could understand that.

Once again I made a nest out of the long grass and curled around my precious egg and little Pokemon. With Uebu now joining me and my other Pokemon in my nest, the night was quite warm and comfortable. The little Pichu once again joined us, but this time he wasn't quite as shy about it. It didn't take long for me to slowly drift to sleep…


	7. Chapter 7 Henri

The morning rose bright and warm, though there were tendrils of mist clinging to the ground in places where the sun hadn't yet reached. The trees around us gave off fragrant scents of blooming flowers, and there were sounds of wild Pokémon calling far and wide. The Mareep had closed in around us during the night, and I woke to a baby Mareep bleating in my face curiously. I laughed and pet it on the head, which it seemed to enjoy.

Kat and her Pokémon were dozing, probably still tired from all their play and work yesterday, and that was fine by me. Since she took care of breakfast yesterday, I would handle it today.

I started looking through my bag and came to a regretful, but expected, realization. I hadn't prepared for the possibility of a traveling partner, or her Pokémon, so the food stores I'd had, that would have lasted me up to Violet City were now already almost gone.

Not that it was a big deal. My Pokémon and I had lived off of the land before, so it was simply a matter of collecting what was available. And as Kat had proved yesterday, there was plenty if you only knew where to look.

I glanced over at Kat, who was now waking up. The Pichu yawned widely and hopped out of the nest. The Wooper, Uebu, blinked at it before following after him, seemingly for lack of anything better to do. I was still very unsure about having a Pokémon that was toxic around Kyun, Aluriel and Drake even though I know that they would be cautious on their own.

"Hey Kat?" I caught her attention as she stopped digging for Miki's formula and looked at me. "My food store's almost gone so I'm going to go look for some fruit and other things for the Pokémon to eat, alright?" She gave me a dubious look.

"Are you sure you know what to look for? There can be a lot of dangerous things here." I nodded, trying to figure out if she was just worried or if she really thought I was that careless.

"I know that. I've been traveling for three years, you know. It's not like growing up in the wild, but I'm not exactly a newbie at it either. Besides, the Pokémon know better than me what's good or not. I'll be using their input about what's okay." She tilted her head, looking at me, and it reminded me enough of Kaitou that I had to stop myself from laughing.

"It should be okay then. I'll help too, alright?" I concurred with that. It would go faster with more people searching.

"Yeah, that's fine. You search to the south, alright? Shimmer and Kyun will go east while Tsuki and Drake look in and around the lake for Water-Pokémon food. I'll head north with Chaos and Aluriel. And I don't think you should leave anything here either. I don't want anybody to think its okay to snatch it, simply because of our carelessness." I started packing up my sleeping bag, placing it back in my travel bag, along with a few other little things that had been unpacked but unused.

"Why isn't Shimmer going with you?" she looked at the Steel-type, who had merely nodded at my directions.

"Shimmer was never a wild Pokémon. He'd only have as much instinct as me on what's safe or not. Kyun will know without a doubt, but I'm not sending him off on his own." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Alright. Should we meet back here in, what, a half-hour or so?" I nodded.

"Sounds good." I walked over to Tsuki and Drake, and knelt down at the edge of the lake. Both the Dragon and Beauty Pokémon were wide awake and alert. Tsuki swam up to me, and rubbed her forehead against mine.

"Hey there, girl. Sorry I've been so preoccupied, recently." She hummed softly, an acceptance of my apology. Drake gave a small cry, that drew my attention to him. He looked up at me, with deep purple eyes.

"And you too, Drake. With this whole thing with Aluriel and Kat going on, I haven't really spent much time with you both. However, I think this afternoon, I'll join you for a swim so we can all play together; what do you think?" They both gave happy cries, and I laughed.

"Alright then. But right now, we have to gather food. Do you think that you and Drake can look around the lake and find some food, Tsuki?" They both nodded. I grinned at them. "Thanks guys." They dived into the water, happy and determined.

I walked over to Chaos and Aluriel, who were under a tree a small distance away from my sleeping place. The Dark-type was laying on the ground, relaxing after keeping watch all night. The smaller Pokémon looked much better than even yesterday, well rested and full of energy. I squatted down, petting the top of his head.

"Think you're up to a little adventure? Just a little one, mind. You need some exercise to get stronger, but not so much that you collapse from exhaustion." He smiled a little.

"Glaci." His voice was strong and stable, another sign of his health returning.

Chaos stood up, stretching and shaking the sleepiness that was surely taking over his mind.

"Absa sol." He gave an affirmative. I smiled. Chaos was sure to be exhausted, but he would do anything I asked of him.

I waved for them to follow me, and we started making our was though the forest north of the camp site. The forest closed around us almost instantly, creating a sweetly claustrophobic atmosphere to anyone unused to it. It reminded me of being a little kid again, back when Shimmer and I would spend hours and days on end in the forests around my home. The light that made it down to ground level was almost emerald green, and I saw quite a few Pokémon higher up in the trees as we passed, though they left us mostly alone.

As I walked I noticed a tangy scent above the sweetness of the flowers. Following it, it wasn't long before I came across a rather decently sized berry patch. They were large and plump, about the size of my hand, with alternating green and yellow stripes. About half that didn't look ripe yet, but it was enough to make it worth my while to dare the thorns and briars to pick them.

Meanwhile Chaos and Aluriel stood guard around me. Or rather, Chaos did. Aluriel looked around the forest with curious eyes, investigating small tracks and little abandoned nests on the ground. What surprised me was his ease within the forest, like he'd lived in one his whole life and maybe he had, before trainers interfered.

Again I felt acutely guilty for having caught Chaos all those years ago. With a sigh, I shook the feeling off. It's not like I could have known anything about Aluriel when I caught Chaos. And I'd done everything in my power to fix my mistake.

Though, now, I was curious about if any of my other Pokémon had any family when I caught them. Shimmer and Drake were raised from eggs, I knew. But Kyun and Tsuki were wild Pokémon that I had caught, and if they had families…that I had taken them away from; it made me sick just thinking about it. And I understood Kat's feelings of trainers a little better now.

"Absol." Chaos' voice broke through my thoughts, and I looked up through the bramble. He was looking to the north, tense and growling. Aluriel was in the same state, though he crouched a bit behind Chaos.

I untangled myself from the thorns quickly. I stared at the direction that both Chaos and Aluriel were facing. One moment passed, then two, and then I saw it. A wave of Geodude were storming towards us. I cursed silently. This was the last thing I'd wanted.

As they came closer, I counted 7 total. What I couldn't understand was why they were swarming.

"Chaos, get ready." He growled, getting into battle form, about 10 feet in front of Aluriel and I. The Geodude rushed towards us, only pausing when Chaos growled threateningly. They looked at him, then each other and for a moment I thought they'd leave us alone. But then the biggest of the Geodude returned Chaos' threat and I knew that it was going to be a battle.

Two of the smaller ones rushed Chaos, going for a double Tackle. Chaos jumped, and they fell to the ground in a heap. He landed to the right of me, facing forward.

"Use Razor Wind, Chaos." A whirlwind rushed through the forest, creating scythes of wind. It hit each of the 7 Geodude, knocking 2 of them out and hurting one so badly that it collapsed.

The two that had first attacked regrouped with the leader and the last Geodude that was still rearing for a fight. The leader gave some signal and all the Geodude slammed their fists into the ground creating a storm of rocks flying straight at us.

"Brace!" I spun and covered Aluriel from the downpour of rocks. The stones slammed into my back, and I felt a few cut in. Aluriel whimpered and I heard Chaos give a short cry of pain.

Aluriel's fur stood up on end, and his body turned icy in my arms. I felt more than heard the growl rumble through him. And before I knew it, Aluriel ran out from under me, causing me to fall sideways. I didn't even have time to think before I felt the temperature drop drastically and a squall of frozen wind gust through the trees.

I shielded my face before the ice and snow could sting my eyes. When the wind finally died down, I dropped my arm. And stared.

The entire area was completely covered with about 3 feet of snow. Chaos shook the snow off, and stood up. The four Geodude had surrounded Chaos when I had turned my back to protect Aluriel; all four were now frozen completely solid. There were lumps on the ground where the other Geodude had been covered in the snow.

Aluriel was standing in the middle of the snow, head down and legs shaking. Chaos limped over to Aluriel, and I noticed that his right front leg had a deep gash in it, and he was peppered with other cuts that stained his white fur crimson.

Before I could reach him though, I heard a racket behind me, and Kat burst into the clearing followed by Kaitou, Miki, Uebu, Shimmer and Kyun.

"Henri! What happened?" Kat looked around at the frozen Geodude and both the Disaster and Snow Pokémon. "Oh no! Are you okay?" At first, I thought she was talking to me, and I was about to answer her. Then she ran to the Pokémon. I sighed, but answered anyway.

"We got jumped, we're fine." I watched her fret over them.

"Fine! How can you call this fine? He's seriously hurt!" I made my way over to the Dark-type. I felt all the bruises and cuts now that I was moving, and there was a numbness in my limbs from the cold. I knelt on the ground beside Kat, and sunk into the snow.

"Don't worry. I can take care of it. Chaos, come here, please." He limped over to me, while Aluriel followed worried.

"Take care of it? What are you going to do?" She watched me, as Chaos presented his wounded leg. I took it gently in my hands, turning it over to see the extent of the wound.

"Just…just watch, okay?" I felt of flutter of nerves, because I had never done this in front of anyone before.

I placed my hands over his most extensive wound, and calmed my mind. After a moment, I felt a heat and pressure build up behind my eyes. The pressure grew, while the heat moved from behind my eyes to my hands. Finally the pressure burst, blinding me for a second. When I got my sight back, I removed my hands from the wound. Or rather, from where the wound had been. Kat gasped.

"Wha-? But…but how? How did you do that?" She stared in wonder, as not only the wound on his leg, but the other little cuts on his shoulders and back were gone as well.

"I told you yesterday. I'm good at healing Pokémon." Chaos gingerly put weight on the leg, before standing up. He was used to the healing, after all the time he'd been with me. Kat watched me intently.

I stood up, feeling a very tired and extremely sore. I bent over and picked Kyun up out of the 3 foot deep snow, for which the little grass Pokémon was terribly grateful for. I waved for my team to follow me, and started walking back to the campsite. Kat followed with a shrewd expression.

"But how? How is that even possible?" I rolled my eyes. Girls just never knew when to drop it. I answered softly, anyway.

"I don't know. I don't know how I do it, or why I can. All I know is I can heal Pokémon. Always have, ever since I was a kid and outside of my family, you're the only one who knows."

We walked in silence for a little while. The trees broke, giving a wide view of the meadow and Mareep. They continued grazing, not even worried about the battle that had happened less than 200 feet from them.

"You've…always been able to do it? And no one's supposed to know?" Kat's voice was normal, steady and curious.

"I…I'm not sure. I've just always been told to be careful around people, concerning _that_ anyway." She looked at me for a minute more, and then turned to Aluriel.

"I can't believe he was healthy enough for a full-strength Blizzard! That's amazing!" I recognized the thoughtfulness of changing the subject. I smiled.

"I know. I couldn't believe it either. I think we've been underestimating this guy." I pet Aluriel on the head. "You did very well, Aluriel. Thank you." He grinned, happy and proud, before going over to Chaos. They curled up together, resting in the sun. It was a rest well earned by them both. I turned back to Kat.

"Well, I didn't get much fruit, thanks to the Geodude, but I did get enough for breakfast anyway."

"Oh, I found a bunch of stuff to the south, see?" She pointed over to a mound of fruit and Apricorns, guarded by Tsuki. Next to her was a smaller pile of wet fruit guarded by Drake, likely the food that they had gathered themselves. In addition to the berries I'd collected today, and the little Pokémon food I had left, there would be enough to get us to Violet City as long as there were no serious delays.

"Fantastic. Let's get everyone food then." I moved slowly to get up as I was still sore, but I felt a paw on my forearm, stopping me. I knew without a doubt it was Shimmer.

"Riori. Lucar-rio." He stared at me with a steely gaze. I knew what he was saying, even without Kat's ability to translate.

"He says that you need your wounds bandaged. You were hurt, Henri?" Kat asked, looking concerned.

"Not really. I have a few cuts on my back. It's nothing major." She glared at me.

"It could get infected if you don't treat it, you know." She started digging in my bag, pulling out bandages, tape, antibacterial treatment, and Band-Aids. She walked to me, and I watched her, worried. "Now, take your shirt off."

"What? No!" Did she really not know how inappropriate that was? Somehow, I knew exactly what her next lesson was going to be: Boundaries. She glared at me.

"You need to get those wounds tended. I'm here, offering to help. Now, take your shirt off so I can see how bad they are." She wasn't yelling, but her voice had my hair stand on end because of the edge of violence in it.

"I'm not taking my shirt off." I wasn't either. Not if I had any say in it.

"Well, why not? What's the big deal, anyway?" She was getting huffy now.

"You're a girl. I'm not taking my shirt off in front of a girl." I knew I sounded like a broken record, but didn't care. I really need to teach Kat that it just wasn't decent to ask someone to remove their clothes.

"Geez, people are so weird, but fine. Whatever. Just take your jacket off, and lift the back of your shirt up, alright?" I sighed, but took off my jacket and lifted my shirt up a bit. "Well, it's not too bad. You have 3 scrapes, one cut, and a whole bunch of bruises. How did your back get hurt, anyway?" Kat applied some of the antibacterial, and placed Band-Aids over them.

"I was shielding Aluriel from the Rock Throws the Geodude used." I could feel her staring at me.

"You shielded him from a direct attack?" She sounded impressed. As always, I wondered if I was being insulted or complimented. "You're lucky all you got were bruises and a few scrapes."

"I'm a little tougher than I look. It's not such a big deal. Better me than them, anyway." She laughed a bit.

"Well, anyway you're all patched up. You have quite a few scars. Are those from other battles?" I tugged my shirt back down, nodding.

"Yeah. Trainer battles can be pretty dangerous no matter how careful you are. But that's not important right now. We need to feed the Pokémon." She nodded, and jumped up to get the food. I followed at a slower pace.

Brunch, as it was late enough to be, was simple enough. The Pokémon gathered around us, chattering and talking. The four littlest ones, Kyun, Miki, Drake, and Pichu sat with Uebu. Kyun was actually getting along with all the other babies. I think that the fun and games yesterday made him realize that it would be fun to have some younger Pokémon around.

Shimmer and Kaitou sat with me and Kat, while Aluriel, Chaos, and Tsuki sat across from us. I was oddly surprised that Tsuki took such a shine to Aluriel. She fussed over him, giving him the bigger pieces of fruit, and I wondered again if she had a family. Chaos didn't seem to mind the attention doted on his friend, though he kept a careful eye on Aluriel.

After eating, I made good on my promise to Tsuki and Drake, changing into swimming shorts and a white t-shirt; well away from where Kat could see, I might add. Kat joined us right away with Miki and they played in the shallows. Eventually Pichu, Kaitou, and Uebu joined with us, and Aluriel even managed to get Chaos to play a little, which I had never seen happen before.

We spent all day playing in the water, laughing and having fun. It was a wonderful end of an otherwise rather horrid day. Tomorrow, hopefully we'd continue on to Violet City. Settling down for bed, all the Pokémon were happy and exhausted and we fell asleep quickly.

~~O~~

I woke to someone shaking my shoulder in the grey pre-dawn light, and I flinched away because their hand was right on one of my biggest bruises.

"Henri. Henri, wake up." Her voice was soft and quiet, but urgent. I managed to sit up, feeling like the bruises I'd gotten yesterday had multiplied in the night.

"Kat? What's wrong? What's going on?" I felt around the ground for my travel bag, and my glasses. Putting them on my face brought Kat's own worried expression into clarity.

"Chaos." I turned and looked at the Dark Pokémon, and knew exactly what she meant. He was pacing back and forth, shaking his head, and clearly unnerved about something. Aluriel watched with worried eyes. "He says we need to leave this place, as soon as possible, but he won't say why." Kat added.

That woke me up completely, and I immediately started packing up the camp.

"Not 'won't', _can't_. Chaos can sense impending danger and disasters, but he doesn't know what they are, really. Only where they're coming from and where they'll happen. If he says we need to go, we need to go now."

Kat sensed my urgency, and started waking the other Pokémon. Shimmer stayed by my side, arms full of Kyun, who wouldn't wake till the sun was well and truly up. Chaos was herding Aluriel towards the road, while Uebu and Miki were woken up by Kaitou and his sister. The Pichu seemed uncertain about what it should do, watching us pack up and getting ready to leave. I knelt down to him, and pet his head trying to calm him.

"You need to get home, as fast as you can, alright? This place isn't safe right now." His big eyes filled with tears, but he nodded. "That's a good Pichu. Maybe we'll see each other again."

He scurried around, giving all the Pokémon hugs, and waving goodbye. Finally, after giving Kat a hug, he ran north, back into the forest.

"Abs-ol!" I whipped around to look at him, but he was staring at the Pichu. Kat flashed past me, after the little electric Pokémon. She dived, arms wrapping protectively around the yellow mouse. But she overshot her dive, and ended up falling into the lake.

And that's probably what saved her life, because an instant after she disappeared into the water four or five boulders dropped where Pichu and Kat had just been.

Kat surfaced about two feet from me, gasping for air. The Pichu was doing the same thing, and Kat tried to calm it. I offered my hand to pull her out of the water, which she took.

I felt the ground under me rumbling. We looked back at the trees. Within the forest, I could see several trees shifting and some collapsed completely. Then a huge Pokémon broke out of the trees, rolling at us with amazing speed.

It stopped short of us, standing in the middle of the boulders it'd thrown at us. The sun broke the horizon, throwing the large Pokémon into sharp relief. It was a Golem, massive and angry. The Rock Pokémon glared at us with intense red eyes.

"Gol, gol golem!" It growled. I wondered if it had anything to do with the Geodude I'd met yesterday.

"He says that he's going to get you back for freezing his brothers." Kat stated.

"Well, it's not like I wanted to! They attacked us first!" I defended, but I knew that it would be useless. The Megaton Pokémon was looking for a fight, and he wasn't going to leave without one.

I thought quickly. Kyun was still asleep in Shimmer's arms, and Aluriel wasn't strong enough to go against a Pokémon of this strength. Chaos would be a terrible choice in a battle like this. But there was still Tsuki and Drake. They were in perfect position to attack and Drake had just learned a new attack. Time to put our training into practice.

"Tsuki, Drake! Use Aqua Tail!" Both Pokémon executed the attack, though Tsuki's was obviously the more powerful one. The waves of water crashed over the unsuspecting Golem. I thought that would be the end of it. No Rock Pokémon should have been able to with-stand two point blank water attacks like that.

But I was wrong, apparently. The Golem was obviously weakened, but still standing. It shook itself from the attacks, and then growled.

"Golemmm! Lem gol golem!" I recognized it as a threat, and an intimidation tactic.

"He says that he's going to rip you to pieces." Kat added helpfully. Seriously? I stared at her, not sure why she suddenly thought I needed to know that the giant Pokémon I was battling had murderous intentions towards us.

"I really don't need to know that right now, Kat! And in case you're missing something, you're probably included in that 'you' he's using!" A roar brought my attention back to the Rock Pokémon.

It used Rock Blast, exploding large rocks from its body at Tsuki and Drake, who dived underwater to avoid the attack. One of the stones went astray, landing near Shimmer and Kyun.

Kyun stirred within Shimmer's arms. One bleary eye opened and glared. It was the eye of a Pokémon that was clearly not ready to be awake. He glanced at the boulder, then at the Golem.

The sun shined on the baby legendary, warming it. Kyun started glowing brightly, growing brighter as the sun rose in the sky. Within seconds, he was completely made of light, glowing so brightly that I had to look away. Experience also told me to shield my eyes.

"Shayyyyyminnnnnnnn!" The whole meadow exploded in light. With one last roar, the Golem collapsed from Kyun's Solarbeam.

I tried to look around, but there were still starbursts exploding in my vision. When they cleared I saw Kat had fallen to the ground, her eyes squeezed shut and watering.

"What…what was that?" She asked, trying to look at me.

"Solarbeam. One of the strongest attacks that Kyun can learn. You okay?" She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision.

"I think so. I will be in a little bit." The Golem gave a short roar, and my head whipped over to look at it. It was still unconscious, so I guess that it was just making noises. "I think we should go before he wakes up or more family members come along."

"I was just about to suggest the same thing, Kat." I helped her to her feet, and then snatched my bag from the ground. I returned everyone save Shimmer to their Pokeballs, and looked at Kat. "You ready?"


	8. Chapter 8 Kat

"I'll be ready in just a second," I answered the surprisingly tough trainer. I returned Miki and Uebu to their respective pokeballs and then grabbed my hat from where it had fallen off during the battle with the Golem. Placing it firmly on my head, I scooped up my egg and nodded at Henri, "Ready."

"Right, let's get out of here then," he turned towards the road. As I started to follow him, there was a small tug at my pant leg.

"Pi, Pi-pi-pi! Pichu, Pi-Pichu!" the little oddly-colored Pichu cried out. I recognized where he was going with this; the baby Pokémon wanted to thank me for saving it from the Golem's earlier attack.

"Don't worry about it," I crouched down and stroked the top of the Mouse Pokémon's head. "I'm just glad that you're safe and sound."

"Pichu! Pi-Pichu, Pichu-pi!" continued the yellow Pokémon.

"Huh?" I blinked in surprise. "You want to come travel with me?"

"Pi!" nodded the Pichu.

"Sounds like the little guy is pretty certain," Henri commented.

"You sure you want to come with us?" I asked one last time. The little Pichu's face was set so determinately, I couldn't doubt his resolve. "Alright, then we're glad to have you with us," I pulled out a pokeball from my side pouch. With a press of the button, my tiny friend disappeared in a flash of red light.

"Ret, Fur-Furret?" asked Kaitou.

"Not now, Kaitou," I smiled as I added the fourth pokeball to my belt. "Let's get out of here first. You can play with our new friend later."

"That's your fourth Pokémon, Kat, not to mention your egg" Henri smiled as we walked down the dirt path. "You're becoming quite the trainer."

I kept myself from growling at him, barely. "I don't know about that, but I guess that isn't such a bad thing, if you're a trainer, too. Don't I have to prove myself as a trainer by beating stronger trainers, like those gym leaders you were telling me about?"

"Well, that's your choice," explained the blue-haired boy. "Most trainers battle gym leaders to earn respect of not only other trainers, but their Pokémon as well."

"To earn the respect of their Pokémon?" my eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"You might find it hard to believe, but not everyone has such an easy time relating to their Pokémon," he explained. "If a Pokémon is high in levels, it might not listen to a new trainer that doesn't have the proper gym badges. Pokémon that are traded from one trainer to another sometimes won't listen to the new trainer until they prove that they are a strong one."

"Your Pokémon all listen to you, even Chaos and Shimmer," I frowned.

He laughed, "That's because I already have all eight gym badges from Sinnoh; and I've done a lot to prove to them that I am a good trainer."

"Wow, Henri. You have all the gym badges from Sinnoh? I knew you were a good battler, but I had no idea you were that strong," I thought over how tough he had told me gym leaders were.

My bodyguard seemed unsure of how to take my surprise, "Well, I have been at this for awhile now. It's only natural that I've picked up a couple badges along the way."

"I think you're being modest," I grinned. "Joey doesn't have any gym badges at all, and Iris only has five. You must be really good."

"Well, if you're so interested in battling the gym leaders, there's a gym right up in Violet City. That'll be the first one we'll run into," Henri quickly shifted the attention away from himself. Sensing that he didn't want to talk about it any more, I decided now was the time to make good on my promise to my little brother. Releasing the little Pichu, I laughed as he and Kaitou chased each other in circles around me.

"Have you come up with a name for the little guy yet?" asked Henri.

"I was thinking Denka," I looked down at the Pichu. "What do you think?"

"Pi, Pichu!" smiled the Mouse Pokémon.

"Denka it is then," I laughed as he climbed up my leg and arm to settle down on my shoulder. I rubbed his cheek as I continued, "You're an energetic one, aren't you? I wonder what kinds of moves you have. Actually, I didn't check to see what moves Uebu knew either. I should do that now." I fumbled with my pouch with one hand for a moment before hearing a high ringing sound. Surprised, I pulled out the little silver bell Mr. Pokémon had given me and Henri, the Soothe Bell.

"Pi!" my new friend's eyes were sparkling.

"You like this?" I laughed. "Here then." I tied the Soothe Bell around his neck with a short length of string I had in my pocket, making sure that the necklace was loose enough that Denka could pull it over his head if it got caught. "There! Aren't you cute?"

"You know, Pichu are a Pokémon that evolve through happiness," Henri smiled. "I bet Denka will evolve into a Pikachu before you know it."

"There are Pokémon that evolve from being happy?" I asked as I shifted the egg to a more secure position in my arms. "I know that Pokémon evolve as they get stronger, but I've never heard of that."

"Quite a few baby Pokémon won't evolve until they are very happy," Henri explained. "Of course, you also have to train them or they won't get any stronger and healthier. I'm surprised you didn't know that, Kat."

"I've only been taking care of Pokémon eggs for a year now," I defended. "It's not like I know everything about them." Kaitou sensed my resentment and joined Denka on my shoulders. He rubbed his cheek against mine, quickly evaporating my foul mood.

"Weren't you looking at what moves your new Pokémon had?" Henri prodded.

"Oh yeah," I finally dug out my pokedex and managed to get it working with only one hand. "Let's see….Uebu knows Water Gun, Mud Shot, Brick Break, and Mud Sport… and Denka knows Thundershock, Charm, Tail Whip, and Volt Tackle."

"Volt Tackle?" Henri coughed. "Are you sure?"

I checked the screen again, "That's what it says: Volt Tackle. Is this another one of those odd moves?"

"Yeah, you can say that," he regained his composure. "Volt Tackle is a move that has to be specifically bred into a Pokémon, meaning your Pichu is very special."

"Well, I knew that already," I winked at Denka. I put away my pokedex while juggling the odd egg, not wanting to slow Henri down.

"Well, there's Cherrygrove," Henri nodded towards the town as we rounded the bend on the path. "You want to shoot for Violet City today?"

"I've never been that far on my own," I admitted. "How long do you think it will take for us to get there?"

"Well if we don't get stalled, we should be able to make it to town in time for dinner," thought out Henri. As his stomach growled, he added, "But we'll have to stop somewhere for an early lunch before then."

"Sounds good," I answered as Denka and Kaitou agreed happily. "There's a place up ahead that serves noodles. You like noodles, right?"

"Noodles sound great," the boy seemed relieved.

"It's a plan then," I nodded.

As we passed through town, we saw quite a few trainers, even a few that had been defeated a few days ago by the brutish Croconaw and his trainer. They all seemed to be recovering from the harsh battles rather well, but their confidences were still bruised. After giving Henri and me a cursory glance, the other trainers would quickly busy themselves with something else and avoid looking in our direction.

"Looks like I've scared them off," Henri nodded in their direction.

"You?" I blinked at him. "Why would they be afraid of you?"

"I figured they were afraid of me challenging them to a battle," shrugged my bodyguard. "That's why they're all avoiding eye contact."

"Oh, well I guess that might make sense to you," I held back a smile. "No offense Henri, but you don't really look like all that strong of a trainer, and I don't think anyone besides me and Victor have seen you battling. The reason they're all trying to hide is because I've run into quite a few of them."

"By run in, do you mean-"

"Yeah, I might have roughed up one or two of them," I sheepishly smiled. "Not that a couple of them didn't deserve it."

"You mean somewhere along the lines of eleven or twelve. So we are still within the realm of your tyranny, huh?" smirked Henri.

"Don't try me, pony-tail," I growled. "I wouldn't mind a rematch with you."

"Lu, Lucario, Lu, Lu," Shimmer grinned.

"We are not arguing like a married couple!" we both yelled at him at the same time. As we gaped at each other, the jackal-like Pokémon chuckled.

"Fur?" Kaitou asked.

"It's nothing," I patted Kaitou as I strode ahead of Henri and Shimmer. Once I reached the restaurant, I stormed inside, letting the door close on Henri.

"Kat!" a happy voice greeted me. "How's it going?" A hefty man in a faded sailor's uniform made his way over to me; a jolly Azumarill followed close behind him.

"Hey, Hugo. Hi, Bubbles," I smiled in return. "You have room for two and a bunch of Pokémon?" I asked as Henri entered the restaurant.

"I've always got room for you, Kat," Hugo's smile widened, "but if the Pokémon are awfully big, you'll have to sit out on the patio out back."

"No problem, Hugo," I patted Bubbles on the head as he led us to the patio area. After fussing over our seating arrangement, Hugo ran off to fetch us something to eat and I released Miki and Uebu from their pokeballs.

Following my lead, Henri began to release his Pokémon, "You know that guy?"

"Hugo and I have known each other for a couple months now, but he didn't always like me," I settled my egg down on a nearby chair, trapping it in place with a pillow so it couldn't roll.

"You seem to have a reputation around here," noted Henri. "How did you get a guy like that to take to you?"

"Easy," I shrugged. "I helped Officer Jenny find the poacher that stole Bubbles, his Azumarill. Ever since then, he's been really nice to me and Kaitou." At that point, Hugo had returned with four bowls of noodles, giving one to me, Henri, Kaitou, and Shimmer. Henri and I distributed the fruit we had collected earlier to the rest of the Pokémon. I was concerned that Henri and the other Pokémon were shunning Uebu, so I placed him on my lap as we ate. I could have sworn Henri's eyes bugged out behind those glasses he wore.

"So it looks like you've gotten a lot more company since the last time you dropped by, Kat," Hugo grinned as Bubbles chatted with Tsuki and Drake.

"Most of them are Henri's," I replied. "The Chikorita, Wooper, and Pichu are mine…and the egg, too."

"Did you start your Pokémon journey already?" the giant man seemed surprised.

"I guess so, but I'm not like all those other kids," I waved my hand dismissively. "Punks that randomly attack all the poor wild Pokémon in our fields…But Elm did give me Miki and some pokeballs to start with. Henri is traveling with me up to Violet City so I can challenge the gym leader there."

"I'm glad you seem to be taking to being a trainer, Kat," Hugo patted my shoulder. "You know, I used to be a trainer when I was young."

"You were?" I pretended not to notice Kaitou trying to steal my bowl of noodles.

"That's right, I was quite the hot-headed trainer when I was your age," reminisced Hugo. "Bubbles and I became the strongest Pokémon and trainer in our whole town, until a traveling trainer came and beat us. I was inconsolable, but then I finally decided to go out and make something of myself. That's how I ended up becoming a sailor."

"That's incredible," I said before mulling over the endless possibilities that lay before us. We finished our lunch in a whirl of motion and sounds, all of the Pokémon happily eating and playing around us. I was happy that I had found a Pokémon that Kaitou liked to play and spend time with; he could be so jealous sometimes.

When we finally returned everyone to their pokeballs and left Hugo's place, the afternoon sun was beating down hotter than usual. We left town without any problems, but once we passed Mr. Pokémon's house, trainers began to pop up more and more. A few of them I had seen before, but a couple of the trainers I didn't even know their faces, let alone their names. Although most of them would only glance at me and Henri, one finally gained the courage to approach us.

"Either of you want to try to take me on?" smirked the young boy. Okay, so courage wasn't one of his problems; perhaps being overly confident was closer.

I handed Henri my egg before accepting his challenge, "I'll battle you."

"I'm Mikey," the boy pulled out a pokeball.

"Kat," I nodded as I picked out a pokeball from my belt.

"Let's show 'em why we're the best! Go, Ratty!" Mikey sent out a Rattata in a flash of red light. Beside me, Kaitou licked his lips.

"No, Kaitou," I whispered to him before calling out, "Regardless of the effects of time, this Pokémon is as relentless as the ocean waves. Introducing, Uebu!" With a flash of red light, my new friend appeared.

"Woo!" Uebu smiled widely.

"Ratty, use Quick Attack!" ordered Mikey.

"Counter it with Water Gun!" I yelled as the Rattata closed in on Uebu at a lightning speed. With a deep breath, Uebu shot a stream of water out of his mouth, knocking the small Pokémon backwards.

"Ratty, Bite!" Mikey yelled as his Pokémon got back on its paws. With a lunge, the purple Pokémon latched onto Uebu's tail with its giant incisors. Poor Uebu's eyes welled up with tears as he cried out in pain.

"Uebu, use Brick Break to knock the Rattata off!" I instructed the Wooper. With a white glow, my Wooper used his tail to bash through a nearby rock, with Mikey's Ratty still holding on. The mouse Pokémon finally let go, stunned from the last attack.

"Looks like Ratty's out of the battle," Henri commented.

"Aw, no! Ratty, return!" Mikey pulled out another pokeball, "You may have beaten my land Pokémon, but how will you battle an airborne one? Go, Peggy!" Suddenly a Pidgey appeared soaring high above us.

"Good job, Uebu," I returned my Wooper. I considered my next choice for only a moment, "Regardless of the effects of time, this Pokémon is a powerhouse that can't be beaten. Introducing, Denka!" With a happy jump, my newest Pokémon appeared in a flash of red and a swirl of tiny stars.

"Crud," grimaced the poor trainer. "Peggy, start the battle off with a Gust!"

"Hold on, Denka!" I worried as the whirlwind zoomed towards my tiny yellow Pokémon. Crouching down and holding onto some tufts of grass, my Pichu avoided being blown back by the attack. "Now get him back with a Thundershock!" With a jump, Denka shot off a bright yellow attack that reached the flying Pokémon with ease.

"Piiiiiiiiii-dgey!" the bird Pokémon crashed to the ground.

"It looks like that's it," commented Henri as the dust began to clear. It turns out he was right; the Pidgey didn't look like it was getting up anytime soon.

"Peggy!" Mikey ran towards his Pokémon. Picking up Denka as I went, I joined the boy to check and see if his Pidgey was alright.

"Pidgey!" the bird managed to struggle to its feet.

"Pichu?" Denka called down to the bird.

"Pi-Pidgey!" replied the bird happily. I was glad that there didn't seem to be any hard feelings between the two of them.

"I'm glad your Peggy is okay," I smiled.

"You're really tough," frowned Mikey. "Here, you earned it." A small wad of cash was pushed into my hands. As he returned his Pokémon, he continued, "Next time it'll be a lot harder for you to beat me. We're going to be training really hard." With that, the young boy in the baseball cap ran off.

"What was that all about?" I asked Henri as he approached.

"Kat, that was one of the most one-sided battles I have seen in a long time," Henri handed back my egg as I returned Denka. "You're Pokémon might be rather low-leveled right now, but they're certainly a lot stronger than I had thought. That battle must have been one of Mikey's first losses, and it didn't even look like you were trying."

"That's not true," I immediately flared up. "I've never been so nervous about a battle before, mainly because I figured you'd get really mad if I jumped in and fought the Pokémon myself."

"I guess I should have figured you'd have known a bit about battling since you've been in battles before, but maybe you don't need to do so much training until we get to some stronger trainers," smiled Henri.

"I won't battle them unless they ask me to," I sniffed. Kaitou scrambled onto my shoulder as we started on our way again.

"I kind of hope they don't, if only for their own sakes," Henri tried to hold in a smile. "Otherwise Shimmer and I will have to knock your ego back down to size."

"You I'm not worried about," I snidely remarked. "I would have had you before if Iris's stupid Victreebel, Vinny, hadn't stopped me. Shimmer on the other hand…"

"Lu!" nodded the Lucario.

"I could always buy him off with some tea," I shrugged. Henri and Shimmer burst into laughter, irritating me even more. I knew better than to press my luck, but someday I was going to have to take Henri on myself, if only so that I could prove to him that I shouldn't be so easily dismissed.

"Fur-Furret, Fur-Fur!" Kaitou chided me. I winced as he used the tone of our mother when she was angry with us.

"Okay, okay," I stuck my tongue out at him. "See if I care, anyway!"

"Am I missing something here?" the blue-haired boy looked back and forth between me and Kaitou.

"Family stuff," I rolled my eyes. "So how much longer until we get to Violet City, anyway?" Kaitou rolled his eyes back at me.

"Not much longer, I'd imagine," Henri pushed his glasses back to their proper place on the bridge of his nose. "We should be able to see it any moment now." As if on cue, towers suddenly appeared over the treetops. One pagoda-style tower stood out in particular, it gave me a strange feeling of foreboding as we drew closer.

"What's that one?" I asked Henri, pointing it out to him.

"Um…" frowned Henri, "all I can think of is the Sprout Tower. The monks that guard the tower are known for their natural herb medicines; that's the reason why I was heading towards Violet City when I made a detour to Professor Elm's Lab."

"Do I have to go with you when you go?" I started to freak out.

"I don't see why you'd have to," shrugged my body guard. "Why? Are you afraid of heights or something?"

I noticed my little brother was hiding behind my legs as we walked along, "That place gives me and Kaitou the creeps."

"Really? It's a place full of people dedicated to training and their religion. I have no idea why it would bother you two so much," frowned Henri. "Shimmer, are you feeling any strange auras from that tower?"

The blue Pokémon closed his eyes for a moment before replying, "Rio-rio, Lucario. Lu, Lu."

"Well, he says he doesn't sense evil, but there's something there," Henri turned back towards me.

"He says not necessarily evil," I frowned. "That's a big difference."

"Don't worry about it," smiled Henri as we walked into town, the tower looming over us malevolently. "I'll go by myself after you battle the Gym Leader; that way you'll be at the Pokémon Center while I'm there."

"Sounds good," I could barely contain my relief. "Where to first?"

"Well, it's almost evening," Henri gauged the sun in the sky. "I doubt either the Sprout Tower or the Pokémon Gym will be open much longer. We might as well head to the Pokémon Center for the night." Deciding that was our best option, we wound our way through the busy streets until we found the Pokémon Center, which was much larger than any of the other ones I had seen before. I was surprised to find that there were rooms set up for temporary boarders, of which there were a lot.

"Hey, either of you up to a friendly battle?" a boy wearing a straw hat approached us casually. "I'm trying to level up some new Pokémon I caught."

I gave Henri puppy-Growlithe eyes until he threw his hands up, "Fine, fine! You can battle him. Just stop that!"

I ignored the stranger's odd look as I put Kaitou in charge of watching my odd egg. Then I lead the way back outside, "I'm Kat. You ready to battle, then?"

"My name is Robby," the boy pulled out a pokeball. "How does a three on three battle sound to you?"

"Sounds good," I smiled as I picked out my first Pokémon. "Regardless of the effects of time, this Pokémon is a powerhouse that can't be beaten. Introducing, Denka!" My adorable Pichu appeared with his happy little jump; he wasn't tired at all from a long day of traveling.

"Go, Squirmy," Robby sent out a Metapod. "Use Harden!" The Metapod took on an iron sheen as it built up its defenses.

"Denka, cancel that out with a Tail Whip!" I smiled. Denka slapped the Metapod with his tail a couple times, lowering his defense."

"Quick, Squirmy; use String Shot!" ordered Robby. The sticky web caught one of the yellow Pokémon's paws, trapping him in place.

"Use Thundershock to free yourself!" I advised. With a jolt of electricity, Denka sliced through the sticky web and shocked the Metapod as well. Although it wasn't certain who was going to win for a moment, Squirmy suddenly fell over, completely knocked out. Robby returned him ruefully.

"I guess I shouldn't go so easy on you," grinned Robby. "Let's see how you can handle this! Go, Buzz!" An angry Beedrill appeared in a flash of red light.

"Uh-oh, Denka, use Charm!" I started off the second round. With a burst of tiny pink hearts, the tiny mouse Pokémon lowered the Beedrill's attack drastically.

"Beedrill, use Fury Attack!" With blinding speed, the Beedrill jabbed his stingers at Denka, causing quite a bit of damage. I knew that Denka was going to be in trouble if I didn't come up with something quick.

"Denka, time for the Ace in the hole! Use Volt Tackle!" I dramatically yelled. With yellow electricity surrounding his entire body, Denka tackled the Beedrill. After the smoke cleared, it was obvious that Buzz wasn't getting back up, but it looked like Denka was in a lot worse shape than I had thought.

"Denka, good job!" I returned him as Robby returned his Beedrill. I pulled out a second pokeball, "Ready for another one?"

"You bet!" Robby threw out another pokeball, "Go, Spots!" A Ledyba appeared flying overhead.

"Regardless of the effects of time, this Pokémon is as calm as the forest meadow. Introducing, Miki!" My baby Chikorita appeared with a happy smile.

"Spots, use Comet Punch!" called out Robby. The Ledyba swooped down, swinging punches left and right; Miki cried out under the barrage of fists.

"Counter with Tackle!" I told Miki. "Then use Growl." Bravely lowering her head and Tackling the Bug Pokémon, Miki managed to knock the Ledyba back. Then with a deep breath, she emitted a loud Growl to lower the red Pokémon's attack.

"Spots, show her what a real Tackle looks like!" commanded Robby. With a flying start, the Ledyba tackled Miki hard, sending her tumbling backwards.

"Miki, you okay?" I asked her. She replied in the affirmative, but I was worried about the injuries she had already suffered. "Miki, use Leaf Storm!"

"Quick, Spots! Use Supersonic!" Robby countered. As the grass Pokémon prepared her attack, Spots emitted a high-pitched frequency, confusing Miki. Instead of finishing her attack, she wobbled around off-balance.

"Now end it with another Comet Punch!" Robby pointed at Miki.

"Miki, look out!" I yelled, but it was too late. Because of the confusion, Miki didn't see the attack coming and couldn't dodge it. She fainted under the direct attack, and I returned her sadly. "You did your best, little one."

"Spots isn't a Pokémon to mess around with," Robby said. "You shouldn't have sent out such a young, inexperienced Pokémon to battle him."

"Well, you won't have to worry about that anymore," I smiled grimly. "Regardless of the effects of time, this Pokémon is as relentless as the ocean waves. Introducing, Uebu!" With his goofy grin, my Wooper appeared, already somewhat recovered from his last battle.

"A Wooper as your final Pokémon?" frowned the boy. "I suppose I'll have to show you what a weak Pokémon that is. Spots, use Tackle!"

"Uebu, counter him with a Brick Break!" As the Ledyba swooped in for the attack, my Wooper knocked it back with a swing of his rudder-like tail. It didn't do much damage, but at least it kept Uebu from taking unnecessary damage.

"Now Uebu, use a Water Gun to keep him back!" I yelled as the Ledyba took to the air again. Uebu shot him back down with a jet stream of water and an accuracy that made me proud of my tiny water-type.

"Come on, Spots!" yelled Robby. "Take him out with a Comet Punch!" Uebu didn't dodge the punches that came, instead he simply took them at full-force, worrying me that maybe he didn't understand the concept of dodging.

"Uebu, try another Water Gun!" I hoped that an attack would halt the Ledyba's attack as it had before. With another stream of water shot from his mouth, the blue Pokémon pushed Spots back out of reach. To my surprise, it looked like the Ledyba was much more weakened than I had thought; it was taking a pause on the ground to catch its breath when it suddenly fell over on its side.

"Spots!" cried out Robby as he ran to his prized Pokémon. "How could this have happened? A Wooper shouldn't have been able to beat my Ledyba!"

I bent down and picked up Uebu when he ran to me, "Battling isn't just about which Pokémon species are stronger than others." I petted Uebu as I picked him up, "I bet you didn't know that Woopers have toxins they secrete from their skin. Your Ledyba was resistant to the poison, but with all of those direct attacks, he couldn't help getting weakened by all of that contact."

"You mean it's my fault we lost?" Robby clutched his Ledyba.

"Not at all," I smiled as I helped him up from the ground. "Spots was already weakened when I sent out Uebu, but you gave us a hard battle instead of an easy win. I think you and Spots are really tough battlers."

"Really?" asked the boy as I steered him back towards the Pokémon Center.

"Yeah, I bet you're one of the best trainers around here," I said as the doors opened automatically. "Now we'll get everyone all healed up." Although the Nurse Joy here looked like the one in Cherrygrove, I could usually tell them apart from their subtle differences. The Nurse Joy in charge of Violet City had a different scent to her, something a little more floral than the other Nurse Joys. She had the standard Chansey helper with her, although this one was also subtly different from the other Chansey I knew in Cherrygrove.

It didn't take long to get our Pokémon all healed and taken care of, so I headed to the room where Henri was already asleep. Pulling down all of the covers off of the bed, I made a little nest before pulling my egg from Henri's relaxed arms. After settling the egg in the nest, I released all of my Pokémon to sleep with me for the night. Although I was worried about my upcoming gym battle, I had all sorts of exciting things to look forward to tomorrow. I fell asleep happily curled around all of my little Pokémon, dreaming of the Pokémon I had yet to meet.


	9. Chapter 9 Henri

I didn't wake with the sun this time because the window shades had been pulled down, most likely by the previous occupant of the room, but there was quite a bit of sound coming up from the main floor of the Pokémon Center as it was flooded with trainers and travelers and all number of people and Pokémon. From the sounds of it, Nurse Joy would be very busy today.

I laid in the soft bed for a minute or two more, enjoying the relative peace of things, though my back ached slightly. Kyun dozed softly on my chest while Aluriel was curled up at the foot of the bed, making my feet cold. Shimmer was sitting with Chaos, awake and talking softly with the Dark-type.

I could also hear Kat's breathing, off to my right from a nest of blankets. I laughed, seeing that. I knew that she wouldn't have used the bed, but it was still amusing to see just how far she'd go to avoid sleeping in a semi-normal fashion.

There was a knock on the door. It opened a crack, and Nurse Joy's face peered around the frame. She took one look at Kat's nest and laughed softly.

"I just wanted to inform you that the Center will be serving breakfast shortly, for the travelers and their Pokémon."

"Thank you, Nurse Joy. We'll be down shortly." I waved as she shut the door again. Kat yawned and extracted herself from the blankets and Pokémon, clutching the egg tightly to her chest.

"Breakfast? They do that for trainers?" She slurred, trying to shake off sleep. I chuckled because Denka was hugging her head, managing to hold on to her short white hair even through her movements, still in a dead sleep.

"Yeah. It's pretty basic stuff, but it's high in energy and protein for Pokémon and travelers. So come on, let's get ready for today." I grabbed my glasses off the stand, putting them on. Shoving my feet into my boots, my coat was thrown over Kyun and I wrapped him up to carry him in my arms.

Kat looked at me oddly, struggling to get her shoes with Kaitou sleeping on her legs, making it hard for her to get up.

"There are a lot of trainers around. Kyun's a very rare Pokémon, and I don't want him to be the target of thieves or poachers. So I have to keep him concealed while I'm in town." I confided. She stared at me for a long moment.

"Okay. I don't think it's very likely that a poacher could get past Shimmer or Chaos, or me for that matter. But I get that you'd be worried about it." I grinned, relieved.

"Well, let's head to breakfast. It'll be easier to talk about the plans for today, after taking care of the Pokémon." I held the door open for her and the Pokémon as they filed out, then grabbed my bag and followed. Kyun chirped from within the coat, quite used to this mode of travel and, in fact, seemed to enjoy it. He was the only Pokémon I had that was small enough to carry, and he basked in the attention.

Chaos and Aluriel walked on either side of me, while Shimmer was just a step behind. We walked into the main lobby of the Center, Kat trying to keep Denka and Kaitou calmed down enough to not bother the other guests. There were several tables set up on one side of the Center, laden with food off all kinds. Trainers were scattered all around, with various Pokémon, and there was a general hum-drum.

The talked stopped immediately when we came into the room. Or rather, it stopped once they got a look at Chaos. Kat scanned the room, confused at the sudden silence. We got our food and sat down a little ways away from everyone else. I released Tsuki and Drake, causing several gasps. Kat hummed to herself as she passed out food to Kaitou, Denka, Uebu and Miki, seeming to try to ignore the reactions of the other trainers. Finally she gave up and turned to me.

"What is everyone's problem? Why'd they get so quiet?" She inquired with a fierce gaze. I sighed.

"There's a superstition that Absol are bad luck Pokémon, that they somehow cause disasters. It's complete nonsense, but it doesn't matter. Most trainers will have nothing to do with them, and any trainer who has one is usually avoided, too." Kat scoffed.

"Are they idiots? I've never heard such a ridiculous thing in my entire live." She glared at the other people who continued to stare in fear. "What are you looking at, huh?"

I laughed and fed Kyun little pieces of fruit from his hiding place within the coat. It was actually easier to hide Kyun from prying eyes, with the fact that hardly anyone ever came near enough to Chaos to see what I had curled in the cloth.

We ate quickly, smiling at Denka and Kaitou's antics while completely ignoring the talk, fearful glances and poorly disguised attempts of fleeing.

"What are we going to do today, Henri? Can you show me the Gym? How tough is the Leader? Do you know their name?" She interrogated me with a focused look. I waited for the questions to end before answering.

"Well, I need to restock on supplies and food, so I need to head to the Poke Mart for a little bit. It won't take long at all. In fact, if we head out now, we'll be able to make the gym by late morning or early afternoon." I gave Kaitou, who had been eyeing my plate, a small biscuit that he happily took. "As for the Gym Leader here, I think his name is Falkner. He's a master of bird Pokémon, or so I hear. He's tough for new trainers but with Denka at your side, I know you can beat him."

She grinned at the odd-colored Pichu, who was stuffing more fruit into his mouth.

"Well, of course we can. He's my trump card, after all. By the way, what kind of supplies do you need to get, anyway?" Denka waddled over to Kat, and plopped down in her lap with a happy sigh and a bulging stomach.

"Well, I'll need some more Full Heals, if there are any here. Rope; Johto seems to have quite a few mountains and caves. Rope will be a good thing to have. Bandages, too." I sighed, feeling the bruises even more. "I also have a few things I need to sell."

"Well, let's get going." She quickly finished her breakfast and stood up, clearly excited to get the day started.

"Alright, alright." I chuckled. I returned all except Shimmer to their Pokeballs. Kat threw me a confused look. "If you have your Pokémon out and wandering around, it's an open invitation for a battle. You might want to have your Pokémon return to their Pokeballs, too. If they get tired from trainer battles, they won't have enough energy for the Gym Leader." Kaitou jumped onto Kat's shoulders, clearly stating his position on returning to the Pokeball. Kat pulled out three other Pokeballs, pointing them at her team.

"Alright, return guys. We'll play later today, alright?" The other three disappeared in a flash of red light. She gathered up the Togepi egg, which had been sitting propped up on cushions. "Ready."

The streets were already full of people, simply because life in a city started early. As we made our way past several little common shops towards the main square, I could see that there was a Pokémon battle occurring, right in front of a building I was sure was a school.

"Henri, look!" Kat sudden veered off to the left, towards a small pink shop. I groaned seeing the sign that proudly stated that it was a fabric and accessory shop. It was a shop that catered to the tastes of would-be coordinators. I followed reluctantly, as Kat disappeared into the store.

The inside of the store wasn't anywhere as bad as I feared. What little of the walls I could see were painted a rose color. There were shelves covering most of the walls, filled to the brim with fabric. Standing shelves took up most of the open floor, holding trinkets and accessories. Kat was already talking with one of the attendants, who was showing her ribbons of varying length and colors. I leaned on the left side of the counter.

"Kat, what are you doing?" I watched as she called out Uebu and Denka.

"I'm getting them some bows, too. I mean, Miki has one and Kaitou has his bandana." The attendants cooed over Denka and Uebu, which Denka soaked up and Uebu just smiled vaguely.

Denka jumped into the ribbon, sifting through the lengths, finally pulling out a small black bowtie. He tried to put it on around his neck, but it was obviously much too big. It hung down to his feet and he promptly tripped on it, causing everyone to laugh.

Kat took the bowtie from Denka and went to put it back. An odd, thoughtful look crossed her face, and she quickly clasped it around Uebu's neck. It was a little loose, but she tightened it a bit.

"What do you think, Henri? It's dashing, don't you think?" Uebu blinked, his smile growing wider slowly.

"Woo." How could such an oblivious Pokémon be so dangerous?

"It looks good, Kat. But what about Denka?" The little Pichu was again shuffling through the fabric. The attendant picked up a length of thin rich emerald ribbon, holding it up to Denka.

"I think this color would look best with his fur." She gave it to Kat, who grinned.

"Denka, come here." She wrapped it on his tail a few times and tied it in a loose knot. "What do you think?" He looked at his tail, shaking it a few times.

"Pipi chu!" He tackled Kat joyfully. She giggled, hugging the Pichu close in one arm.

"Will that be all for you today, Miss?" The attendant asked her. Kat nodded, as Denka showed off the tail wrap to Kaitou. "Well, may I suggest buying one of our ribbon bundles? They come with about 10 different ribbons, and are only 75 Pokeyen. It'll give you a wider range of colors to dress your Pokémon with." She gave a wide salesman smile, and I knew that Kat was going to buy it.

"Yes, please. That sounds wonderful." She picked out one of the bundles, and placed it on the counter.

"Alright, miss. The bundle, along with the ribbon and the bowtie will cost 90 Pokeyen."

Kat pulled out the money that she won from her battles yesterday, counting out the necessary bills. She laughed, placing the newly bought ribbon in her side pouch and returned Uebu and Denka to their Pokeballs.

"Ready?" I asked with a grin. She smiled, sheepishly.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go get your supplies." We left the accessory shop, back into the hustle and bustle of the city streets.

"So, on the way to the Mart, we'll be passing the Gym. So you'll be able to get a look at it. It's quite a sight."

"How do you know where everything is? I thought you were from Sinnoh?" She walked beside me, clutching the egg to her chest to keep it from falling.

"I am. But when I came to Johto, I got an upgrade on my Poke'tch so I could have a Town Map of Johto on it. So now I have apps for both Sinnoh and Johto on it." I stuck my wrist out, showing her the map that clearly stated we were in Violet City. "If I ever go to Hoenn, I'll get one for there too."

"Wouldn't it have been better to just get a PokeGear? I mean, it already has everything you'd need on it, right?" I nodded.

"Maybe that's true. But I've had my Poke'tch since I started my journey 3 years ago. I guess I've grown attached to it."

She started to say something, but someone shoved her into me and I had to catch her before she fell. She waved my arms off, glaring behind her at the guy who had rudely pushed her.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" She yelled at him. He turned and glared at her. Dressed in all black, and a cap that threw his eyes into shadow, he looked dangerous. I saw two Pokeballs on his belt.

"What'cha gonna do 'bout it, girlie?" Kaitou stood up on Kat's shoulders, growling fiercely. "Ohh! A midget Furret, how scary. I'm shakin' in my boots. I can' believe there are still idiots who train such worthless Pokémon. It looks like you got gypped, little missy. " He laughed cruelly. I wrapped my arms around Kat's waist as she made to tackle the man.

"Kat, don't! He's just trying to provoke you!" She struggled against my hold, inadvertently elbowing me in the stomach. "Shimmer!" As always, he knew exactly what I meant. He walked in front of us, facing the man. The challenge was obvious.

"Oh, what's this? Does the little girlie need her boyfriend to fight her battles for her?" He snickered. Kat elbowed me again, purposely, hard enough that I couldn't help but let go.

"No, I don't! I don't need anyone to protect me! I challenge you to a battle!" The guy grinned and it was obvious that Kat had played right into his hands.

"Alright, girlie. I'll show you not to mess with big boys. We'll make it 2 on 2, sound fair?" She nodded. "Then lets' get to it. Spearow, go!" With a flash of red light and a squawk the small tan and red bird appeared. Kat passed the egg to me and picked out a Pokeball.

"Regardless of the effects of time, this Pokémon is a powerhouse that can't be beaten. Introducing, Denka!" A flash of red light and gold stars the little Pichu appeared, ready for the battle.

"Don't waste any time, Spearow! Use Peck!" The man bellowed. The small bird flew at Denka, its beak glowing.

"Denka, counter with Tail Whip!" Just as the Spearow bared down on the little electric type, Denka whipped his tail, causing the Spearow to rebound back and leaving the little bird wide open for an attack. "Now! Thundershock!"

Denka started glowing and before the bird could recover, it was hit directly with a bolt of lightning. It cried out in pain, but it didn't faint. Denka rushed the bird, becoming almost invisible in his speed. It was a direct hit and Spearow fainted.

"Quick Attack?" Kat stared in shock. After the attack was finished, Denka started to glow. The white light grew to a blinding level, and I covered my eyes. When the light died away…

"Pipi Pikachu!" A joyous grin took over Kat's face.

"Denka! You evolved!" She laughed and Denka grinned. The man growled.

"Don' think this is over, girlie! Ekans, get that blasted rat!" The six foot long snake appeared with a hiss. "Use Bite, Ekans!"

"Dodge with Quick Attack, Denka! Then use Thundershock!" Denka rushed to the left, but Ekans followed with an unusual speed. It coiled and sprung after Denka. The extra boost allowed it to catch him, and it chomped down in an impressive Bite.

"Denka!" The mouse Pokémon cried out in pain. "Denka use Thundershock!"

"Piiika Chuuuuuuuu!" Lightning engulfed Denka and the Ekans, causing the snake to release him. Denka landed hard on the ground, but he stood up immediately. The Ekans shook off the remaining effects of the shock.

"Ekans, use Acid!"

"Denka, Volt Tackle!"

They cried out their attacks at the same time, but Denka responded first, rushing the Poison-type with blinding speed. It didn't know what hit it, and it went flying back into its trainer, who collapsed under the weight. After a moment, it was obvious that Ekans wasn't getting up.

"Denka! We won!" Kat cheered, rushing up to the newly evolved Pikachu. I kept my eye on the other trainer, not trusting him to not do anything even after the battle was over. I heard a string of curses from him as he tried to get out from under the snake's unconscious weight.

"Kat, let's go. I really don't think we should stick around that guy." I tugged on her elbow to make my point. She nodded, glaring at the man. We wandered back into the crowd before the guy could even get up.

We wandered past more shops, before finally catching sight of the Gym. I brought this to Kat's attention.

"There's the Gym right there, Kat." I pointed at the tall, spiraling purple building. She gaped at it.

"Do all gyms look like that?" I shook my head.

"Not at all. The gyms are designed by their Leaders. In Sinnoh, there's a Gym Leader who is constantly renovating his gym because he gets depressed with nothing to do."

"He gets depressed? Why?" I chuckled at her confused face.

"Because he has nothing to do, I said. He wins his battles easily, and it's no challenge for him, or that's what he said, anyway. No tough trainers and nothing to do, it'll wear on you after a while." I chuckled again, remembering the rather apathetic Electric Gym Leader of Sunyshore. "He was kinda an odd guy."

"I'm starting to think all trainers are odd, really." I was about to point out that she was a trainer too but stopped myself, realizing that she really didn't count as normal either. Instead I grinned and pointed out.

"Well, that includes you too, you know." She took a swipe at me, but I was expecting it and ran ahead, toward the blue roofed PokeMart next to the Gym, laughing my head off.

"Henri! You get back here! And quit running with that egg!" She hollered and chased after me.

"She's gonna get me if I stop now." I confided in the egg, still laughing.

I made it to the PokeMart before she had covered even half the distance. I thought about going in, but decided to wait for her to catch up. I leaned against the wall, the perfect picture of nonchalance, except for the grin I couldn't keep off my face. I never thought traveling with someone could be so much fun.

When Kat got to me, she cuffed my shoulder gently, but she was smiling too. I handed the egg back to her and gallantly opened the door for her, even adding a bow, grinning from ear to ear. She chuckled, but stepped into the mart anyway.

"Welcome to the Violet City PokeMart. Please let us know if there's anything you need." One of the attendants greeted.

I nodded back and grabbed a hand basket. Kat followed behind me, looking through the shelves and occasionally picking up one thing or another to look at. I knew my way around a PokeMart and it didn't take long to gather everything I needed. I was slightly disappointed to see that they didn't have any Full Heals, but I made do and got 5 each of the other status healers. There was never anything wrong with having spare medicine.

I walked up to the check out counter, putting up the medicine along with a length of rope I had a feeling would be needed eventually, and more bandages. I looked at the white cloth for a long moment; thinking about the fact that I wasn't buying it for the Pokémon, instead I was buying it for us. I would never allow the Pokémon to get hurt enough to need it, not when I could heal them. We however, Kat and I; we would need it.

"Is that all for you today, sir?" The shopkeeper asked. While I was lost in my thoughts, she had already rung everything up.

"Ahh, yes please." She smiled.

"That will be 6000 Pokeyen." Kat gasped, going slightly green in the face. I chortled and pulled out the appropriate amount, handing it over. I put my groceries in their appropriate compartments and pulled out a large black velvet bag.

"I also have a few things to sell, miss." Opening it, I pulled out 2 large pearls, one regular pearl and a smaller blue velvet bag that held stardust and placed it all on the counter. I debated a moment over whether to sell my little silk bag that contained 8 star pieces, but decided against it. Best to save that for lean times.

The shop keeper's eyes widened slightly, but she smiled genuinely.

"Of course, sir." Her fingers flew over the keys. "And your total is 8900 Pokeyen." She counted it out and passed the stack of bills to me.

"Thank you very much."

Kat was freaking out beside me as we walked out of the shop.

"That's a fortune, Henri! How did you get that much money?" She was still a little green.

"Its fine, Kat. When you start going up against the stronger trainers, you'll get more money as a prize. Also, if you find treasures, like those pearls and other things, you can sell them for money as well. Besides, this isn't even most of my money. I had my mom hang onto a lot of it when I came to Johto. And I have a few caches here and there, in storage." She looked thoughtful for a moment.

"So…you're a rich boy." I snorted.

"That's one way of putting it, I guess. Though I earned my money, mostly through finding gems and other rare things. My family's pretty well-to-do, however." She grinned.

"Well, that explains Shimmer's good manners. I wonder where your parents went wrong with you." Shimmer made a sound suspiciously like a laugh. Kat grin threatened to take over her entire face. Between the laugh and her smile, I found myself smiling too.

"Come on, let's go out and eat. To celebrate Denka evolving and you winning 3 battles in a row." She looked up at Denka who was taking up her shoulder. He nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright, Henri, but it's your treat." She grinned.

"It was my suggestion, wasn't it? Of course it's my treat." I gave an exaggerated sigh.

We found a small, homey café that catered to Pokémon as well as people. Though we had to eat outside, it was pleasant enough. I got some kind of stir-fry for Shimmer, Chaos, Aluriel, Kaitou, Drake, and Denka. Uebu and Tsuki got a version of the stir-fry, but with fish instead. Miki and Kat got fresh fruit and vegetable salads. Kyun got one as well but I also got him one of his favorite treats, yoghurt, while I ordered some sushi and rice.

There was a TV on the outside of the café, apparently for customers to watch. The channel was tuned into one of the Johto Battle Networks and was doing a feature piece on the Johto Battle Frontier. Apparently there was media storm because some famous trainer was making an appearance at the Frontier. Kat glanced at the TV, puzzled.

"What's so great about that trainer? And what's the Battle Frontier, anyway?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"Red? I haven't the slightest idea, I never heard of him before. But the Battle Frontier? There isn't a trainer worth their salt who doesn't know about the Battle Frontier." I saw Kat's expectant gaze. "It's a place where exceptionally strong trainers gather, from all over the world. Only the best can participate in the tournaments there, and if you somehow manage to beat all the challenges you'll be given an amazing prize."

"A prize? Well, what is it?" She grilled me.

"I don't know. I've never been to the Frontier in Sinnoh. I don't like battling much, after all." I thought for a moment before a small bit of gossip I'd heard in Sinnoh came to mind. "But, I do know there was a trainer in the Sinnoh Frontier that won that prize. He had a really large fan club, so I'd heard about it in the Pokémon Center. It caused quite the storm." She grinned.

"Why, because no one had ever won it before?"

"Well, yes and no. It's true that no one had won the Sinnoh prize before, but the biggest uproar was caused because," I paused for a dramatic effect, which failed because Kat took a swipe at me. "He turned it down."

"What? All that work, to get some big, secret prize and he turns it _down_? What an idiot!" She burst out laughing. I had to admit, she had a point. I mean, why would anyone turn down something that they'd obviously been working so hard for. It really didn't make sense.

"Well, after that, he just disappeared. It was just before I left Sinnoh, so I don't know if he's been found, or anything." She continued to laugh. I noticed one of the waitresses standing awkwardly to the side, wondering if she should come over. I waved her over.

"Sir, did you find everything to your liking?" She beamed, seeing all the Pokémon content and well-fed.

"Yes, thank you. It was wonderful." She nodded, passed me the check and waited while I paid the bill.

"Thank you, sir. Please come again." I smiled as she left. I turned to Kat with a smirk.

"Think you're ready?" She returned my smirk, looked at Denka who looked just as determined.

"You bet. Ready, Denka?" The little mouse nodded fiercely.

"Pipi kachu!"

After returning everyone to their Pokeballs (save Shimmer and Kaitou), we made our way back to the Gym.

"Hey, Henri. What are bird Pokémon weak against, other than electricity?" Kat asked suddenly.

"Well, there isn't much, actually. Rock-types and ice-types are both really good types to use. Grass, bug, and fighting types are weak to flying. The rest is just average, I guess." Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Kat was chewing the end of her thumb, thinking. "Don't stress too much. It's true that Falkner's likely learned a lot of tricks to facing electric Pokémon, but that just means you'll have to think outside the box. Use the battlefield to your advantage. Be your spontaneous self, and Falkner won't know what hit him."

She grinned then chuckled a bit.

"You know, you're not half bad at giving advice." I smirked.

"In that case, I'll give you one more piece of advice, no charge." She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. I reached out and ruffled her hat, causing it to become lopsided. "Don't tackle the Gym Leader, okay? We really don't need him to become your 12th or 13th victim, yeah?"

She swatted my hands off, growling and clearly not amused. She was the only one, though; Kaitou was snickering at his sister's plight and Shimmer had a very noticeable smile on his face as well.

We made it to the Gym just shortly after noon. I had to admit, it was an impressive structure, rising several stories above the next largest building and dwarfed only by the Sprout Tower. The only thing I had against it was the fact that it was purple. I mean, I understood that it was the Violet City Gym and everything, but painting a whole building _purple_? It just seemed a little over the top, in my opinion.

Kat was staring at the door and I saw the first part of stage-fright creeping up on her. I remember feeling the same way 3 years ago, when I first challenged Roark. I leaned over, speaking to break her out of her thoughts.

"This is your challenge so you have to announce your purpose for being here." She nodded again and knocked on the door, loudly. It opened almost immediately.

"Yes?" It was a guy, late teens with brown hair and yellowish eyes. He wore a blue bodysuit and a telltale falconer's glove and arm brace. One of the gyms' trainees, then. Kat stood her ground, showing none of the nervousness that she'd just had.

"My name is Kat. I'm here to challenge Falkner." The trainee smirked.

"Let me bring you to the arena, then. Follow me, please."

The inside of the gym was rather exotic. There was no solid, complete floor. Instead the gym had crisscrossing walkway that was barely big enough for one person to cross safely. It reminded me of a bird cage. Looking down, I could see the levels below, where another trainee was practicing. His Pidgey darted in and out, under and over the catwalks. Our guide leaned over the walkway, shouting down to the other man.

"Hey, Abe! The Leader has a challenger! Get your butt up here." Things echoed really well in this building.

"Be right up, Rod!" Abe hollered back. The first trainee, Rod, motioned us to continue following him. He led us to a staircase that wound up for two or three floors. I had to wonder if the sheer size of the Gym was simply for the birds benefit, or if it was an intimidation factor. Probably both.

Up the stairs, down a short hallway and then around a bend. The hallway opened into a huge arena. The arena was encircled with viewing stands, and there about 20 kids in the stands. I recognized some of the kids as part of the school group that had been battling that morning. There was a teacher standing beside the kids, and they were focused on a man, older teens, dressed in a blue and white hakama. There was a Noctowl and Pidgeotto at his side, as he lectured the school kids.

The kids started to stir, looking past the gym Leader to us, more than likely already knowing exactly what was going to happen. Kat faltered in her step for just an instant.

"Henri? What are they doing here?" She whispered. I answered in the same tone.

"I told you before, didn't I? The Gym Leaders help train and school young kids about their preferred Pokémon. That's what Falkner's doing. He's giving a lecture to the students of the PokéSchool."

"So they're going to watch, huh?" She looked a little green.

"Yeah. They're going to be watching. But a battle's still a battle, audience or no. Don't pay attention to them, look around the field, and try to find something you can use to your advantage." I looked around, not seeing much. The field was flat packed earth, no stones or anything to hide behind. I had to admit that Falkner had his field to his advantage. I glanced at Kat, to try to cheer her on, but I saw that she was looking at the ground. She had a focused look in her eyes as she occasionally scuffed the dirt of the battlefield.

When we got to the group, Falkner was already turned around to face us. He had an expectant look on his face and a spark in his eye. I grinned a bit. For Gym Leaders, there's only one reason for amateur trainers to be showing up at their Gyms.

Kat handed me the egg and walked ahead of me, in a obvious display of challenge. Falkner's eyes flicked to her, widening slightly. He had probably expected me to be the challenger.

"Gym Leader Falkner? My name is Kat. I challenge you to a battle." He nodded, having a smirk on his face.

"Very well. I accept your challenge. Watch closely, kids. I'll show you exactly how to use natural surroundings to bring out your Pokémon's natural ability." I had to grin, because he was telling them exactly what I'd been telling Kat all day.

After that the preparations for the battle went by fast. Both stood on their end of the field while one of the Gym's trainers refereed. I sat behind Kat, offering moral support.

The trainee announced the stipulations of the battle.

"This is an official Pokémon match. It will be a 2 on 2 battle between Gym Leader Falkner of Violet City and the trainer Kat. First trainer who's Pokémon are still able to battle will be declared victor. Begin!"

"Pidgeotto, we can win this one." The bird flew into the ring, obviously pumped up. Kat grabbed one of the Pokeballs on her belt.

"Regardless of the effects of time, this Pokémon is as relentless as the ocean waves. Introducing, Uebu!" The familiar red light releasing the small blue Pokémon.

"Woo." Uebu smiled vaguely, black bow around his neck. Falkner watched it for a second, before launching his first attack.

"Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack." The bird soared into the air and dived towards the water type.

"Uebu, use Mud Shot to blind Pidgeotto!" A ball of mud came out of Uebu's mouth, hitting it straight in the face and eyes. The bird squawked and flapped wildly, but was unable to clear its eyes or right itself. Pidgeotto fell onto the battlefield; it was undoubtedly grounded.

"Pidgeotto, use Sand Attack!" The bird, though it was unable to see, managed to whip up an impressive amount of sand. It flew everywhere, effectively blinding both battlers and referee. Even I had to shield my eyes from a few bits of sand. With Uebu right in the middle of it, it was impossible to think that he wasn't effected.

When the sand settled, however, Uebu was just standing there, smile prominent on his face. His body was so coated in sand that you could hardly tell he was supposed to be blue, but he didn't seem fazed in the least. I couldn't believe it!

Kat laughed. "Uebu, use Brick Break," I held my tongue to keep from yelling out. A Fighting attack? On a Bird Pokémon! Falkner seemed to have the same reaction. "on the ground in front of Pidgeotto!" I blinked, taken aback.

'_What? The ground?'_ I scanned the arena trying to figure out why. Uebu's tail glowed and he executed the attack perfectly. The ground shattered, creating a hail of rocks, similar to what the Geodude and Golem had done a few days ago. The poor Pidgeotto couldn't see the attack, and cried out when it was hit full on by the hail of stones.

Pidgeotto shook from the attack, clearly hurt, but it remained standing.

"Pidgeotto, you can hear the Wooper! Use Quick Attack!" Falkner yelled. Pidgeotto jumped into the air, keeping low to the ground. But it still managed to gain enough speed to hit Uebu directly with the hit. Direct hit, yes, and it did seem to hurt Uebu a bit, but he had a shield of slime and grit that took some of the force of the attack.

Pidgeotto soared up, and dived again, clearly going for another Attack.

"Uebu, let's finish this! Water Gun at point blank!" Kat yelled. Which is exactly what happened. It was too late for the Flying-type to pull out of its dive, and Uebu caught it within inches of contact. The force of the water pummeled the feathered Pokémon and slammed it into the seats of the arena. It struggled to move, but after a minute it collapsed.

"Pidgeotto is unable to battle. The win goes to Wooper." The Gym trainer called out. The group of school kids, which I had forgotten were there, started talking amongst themselves. I saw a few give envious looks to Kat, but I don't think she noticed. She was kneeling down, talking with Uebu. The Water-type smiled, and waddled back into the field, clearly going to participate in the next battle.

"Not bad. But you won't have such an easy time with Noctowl." Falkner stated.

The brown bird flew into the arena, circling above Uebu.

"Uebu, use Water Gun!" Kat cried. If the attack hit, and Uebu could water-log its feathers, he'd have a better chance in the battle. However, the Noctowl dodged with little difficulty.

"Use Uproar Noctowl!" The bird opened its beak and screeched blue sound waves through the arena, echoing harshly. It was so strong that I had to cover my ears, but it didn't stop the ringing or instant headache that it caused. "Now, use Peck!" The bird dived right on top of the little Pokémon, a direct hit.

"Uebu!" Kat cried, but the little blue Pokémon had fainted.

"Wooper is unable to battle. The win goes to Noctowl." Kat returned Uebu to his Pokeball. I knew which Pokémon was going to be next.

"Regardless of the effects of time, this Pokémon is a powerhouse that can't be beaten. Introducing, Denka!" He emerged, with the same small sparkles. The little mouse Pokémon had a determined look. He obviously knew how important this battle was.

Falkner looked surprised, but he covered it quickly.

"Noctowl, use Peck!" Noctowl dived at the little mouse.

"Dodge with Quick Attack, Denka!" Kat cried. The electric Pokémon did as he was told, but it was swiped with Noctowl's large wings, causing it to lose his footing and tumble to the ground.

"Use Sky Attack, Noctowl!" Noctowl started glowing white as it soared into the sky.

"Denka, use Thundershock!" Noctowl plummeted from the sky, glowing brightly. Denka was on his feet, and dodged to the side as the large bird swooped past him. Electricity surrounded both Denka and Noctowl. Noctowl cried in pain as the lighting surged over it, paralyzing it. It fell to the earth, unable to flap its' wings.

"Noctowl, use Reflect!" Falkner cried. Noctowl tried, but it couldn't move a feather.

"Denka! Volt Tackle!" Kat hollered. Falkner went pale, but there wasn't anything he could do. Noctowl was wide open and Denka's attack hit perfectly. With a hoot, the owl Pokémon collapsed.

"Noctowl is unable to battle. This match goes to the trainer Kat." Falkner returned Noctowl with a sigh. The school kids cheered, pouring out of the stands to crowd around Kat. Denka ran back to Kat. He was a little scuffed up, but otherwise doing okay. It was nothing a rest wouldn't cure. Falkner made his way over to Kat as well, wading through the kids.

"You're a rather talented trainer, Kat. Here," He opened his hand, where the badge rested. "Take this Official Pokémon League Zephyr Badge as proof of your victory." Kat didn't notice as she viewed her newly won badge, but I saw an odd look pass over Falkner's face. I stepped up to Kat.

"Henri, look! My first badge!" She showed me, laughing happily. I grinned as well.

"That's wonderful, Kat. But we need to get Uebu to the Pokémon Center. He needs some rest." She agreed and waving goodbye to the kids, we left the gym. I thought for a moment about Falkner's odd expression, but put it out of my mind. Kat was celebrating with Denka and Kaitou the entire walk back to the Center, extremely elated.

It was just around 2 in the afternoon when we made it back. The Center had a few trainers in it, but I noticed one, leaning against the counter. He was obviously waiting for his Pokémon to be healed. Black hair, black clothes and a white backpack, I recognized him easily. Victor. He turned around and caught sight of us, eyes widening at the sight of Denka.

"Hello again, Henri, Kat. Is that your Pikachu, Kat?" Kat rubbed Denka's head affectionately.

"Yeah. I caught him yesterday morning." She walked up to the counter, giving Nurse Joy Uebu's Pokeball and placing Denka on the tray as well. Nurse Joy took both Pokémon to the back rooms. Victor stared off at after them, eyes wide.

"Your Pikachu…" His voice trailed off. Kat snickered, taking the egg from my arms. Instead of answering him, she looked at me.

"You needed to go to Sprout Tower, right Henri? You should get going so it doesn't close. I'll be here until Nurse Joy give Denka and Uebu back, alright?" I nodded, grinning.

"Alright. I'll be back in a few hours. Nightfall at the latest. Try…" My smile grew even wider. "Try to not attack anyone, alright?" Kat growled at me, but she couldn't keep the smile of having just won her battle off her face.

I waved as I walked back out of the Pokémon Center, headed to Sprout Tower. Shimmer followed as always, mostly silent, but I could feel his happiness and enjoyment. I looked at him.

"You think this was a good idea, don't you?" He looked at me out of the corner of his sparkling red eye.

"Riori, cario lu-lucario." He nodded.

"Well, I'm starting to think you're right. This is the most fun I've had in years."

Shimmer smiled at me, showing that he'd noticed.

"Now the only thing I need to figure out is how to get an audience with the Head Sage." I faced the Tower, wondering exactly what I would learn there and hoping it would be something that would be useful on our journey. Because with Kat around, I had no doubt that I would need new remedies for all the wounds that were surely going to happen.

'_But,'_ I grinned widely again. _'it's going to be fun. No doubt about it. This is going to be exciting.'_


	10. Chapter 10 Kat

Henri left with that funny little smile on his face, making me wonder what it was that was so funny. However, I had a more pressing issue on my hands; Victor had received his Pokeballs from Nurse Joy and now there were three of them. But even though he had gotten his Pokémon back, he didn't show any signs of leaving. He simply hung around the waiting room, hovering near me.

"Did you want something?" I growled at him as I shifted my hold on my strange egg. Before he could answer, my egg shook in my arms, announcing that it was ready to hatch soon.

"What was that?" Victor asked.

"My egg is getting ready to hatch!" I couldn't believe how wonderful the day was turning out. I had won my first badge, and now I would finally get to meet my new Pokémon friend that would join me on my journey.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to check your egg's health," Nurse Joy approached. I wasn't happy about letting this Nurse Joy put my egg in one of the machines I could hear nearby, but I wanted to make sure that the baby was going to be healthy. I gently handed her the egg and followed her to the side room. She placed my egg on a cushion in a quietly beeping machine and attached some wires to it.

"So what kind of Pokémon egg is that?" Victor's voice startled me. I hadn't realized that he had been following me. Luckily I was saved from answering because the egg gave another mighty shake and then began to glow.

"Oh my!" Nurse Joy exclaimed. "I guess it was closer to hatching than I thought."

"No, he's hatching early," my brow creased with worry.

"He?" Victor's eyebrows raised. The glow increased, becoming hurtful to look at, but I was surprised to find Victor leaning in towards the egg. I suppose he hadn't ever seen a Pokémon egg hatch, so I didn't correct him. The glow finally reached its peak and then dissipated, leaving behind a tiny pale Pokémon with a pattern of red and blue triangles just like the egg had.

"Pii!" the little Pokémon announced his arrival.

"What kind of Pokémon is this? I've never seen it before," frowned Victor. He pulled out the pokedex, "Togepi, the Spike Ball Pokémon. The shell seems to be filled with joy. It is said that it will share good luck when treated kindly."

"Togepi is a lot cuter than I thought," I smiled. "Come here, little guy." I went to pick him up, but he began to wail loudly. I quickly set him back down, and he reached out his stubby little arms towards Victor. I had seen this before, and my happiness evaporated as I realized what was happening.

"What's wrong with your Togepi?" Victor asked.

"He's. Not. My. Togepi," I bit out the words.

"What? What's going on, Kat?" Victor began to look uneasy.

"Togepi imprinted on you; he thinks you're his mom," I let the acid seep into my voice. "He would be depressed if I took him away." I picked up the baby and pressed him into Victor's arms.

"You mean you're giving him to me?" his green eyes widened.

"Not exactly," I hauled him out of the room by his elbow. "You have no idea how to properly care for a baby Pokémon; I can't just let you run off with this newly-hatched rare Pokémon. All sorts of things could go wrong."

"So what is it that we're doing?" Victor struggled to keep up as I grabbed Uebu's Pokeball and Denka from the counter.

"We're going to go find Henri and figure out what to do," I dragged him out of the Pokémon center. "He'll know what to do."

"What makes you so sure?" grumbled Victor.

"Well, would you argue with what he decides?" I glared at him.

"I guess not," Victor mulled over it for a moment.

"See," I held in a smirk, "even though you haven't known him that long, you respect his battle power. Besides, he's the one Elm hired to keep me from attacking people, so I'd really think you'd like to find him as soon as possible." Although Victor seemed unaffected by my threat, he picked up his pace and easily kept up with me. As we approached Sprout Tower, I was surprised to see what looked like a natural moat surrounding the tall building. There was a series of two bridges leading to the tower; they both touched down on a small island before stretching to either side of the lake.

"You kids wanting to get to Sprout Tower?" a bald man in a black robe asked.

"Have you seen a boy with a blue ponytail and glasses come this way?" I asked the man. "He had a Lucario with him."

"Oh, him," the monk nodded. "He wanted to meet with the Head Sage, so he headed for the top of the tower."

"The top?" I looked at the immense building. I gathered my courage together, "We really need to find him, and so we'll head up there. Thank you, sir."

"We do all of our training in the tower, so you might be challenged to battle if you aren't accompanied by another monk," warned the man. "Maybe I should go with you two, just to be safe."

Victor looked like he was going to decline, but I spoke up first, "I'm sure you have other things to do. Don't worry; we'll be fine on our own." With a wave goodbye, we left the monk behind as we walked across the bridges towards the building that loomed over the entire area. The doors to the tower were wide open, allowing us to simply walk right inside. I felt a shiver go up my spine, and when Kaitou jumped into my arms, I knew that he sensed it as well.

To my surprise, there was a giant pillar in the middle of the room that seemed to go all the way to the top of the tower. It swayed slowly to and fro, making a creepy creaking sound as it moved. With Denka on my shoulder and Kaitou in my arms, I walked next to a chatty Victor who was carrying on about how this tower was named after a Bellsprout because of the giant pillar. We found the wooden staircase and began to climb them, with Victor suddenly seeming very nervous on having to carry the Togepi. I guess he just realized how dangerous the world could be for a baby Pokémon.

"You there!" another monk spotted us as we reached the second floor. "I could use some practice. Either of you up for a Pokémon battle?"

"We were in a hurry, but I could use the practice," I admitted. "I'll battle you if you want; I'm Kat."

"I'm Sage Nico," the man pulled out a Pokeball. "Go, Bella!" A Bellsprout appeared in a flash of red light and wavered from side to side, just like the pillar. I guess that made Victor right after all.

I chose my own Pokeball and sent out a Pokémon, "Regardless of the effects of time, this Pokémon is as calm as the forest meadow. Introducing, Miki!"

"Chiko!" Miki looked happy to be called out of her Pokeball.

"Bella, use Vine Whip!" the sage ordered. Green vines appeared and wrapped around Miki to hold her down and keep her from attacking.

"Hold on, Miki!" I yelled. "Use Growl!" My tiny grass type bravely took in as deep of a breath as she could and emitted a loud growl. Although it didn't help much, the growl did lower the Bellsprout's attack enough so that its grip on Miki loosened. "Quick, use Tackle!" Using the extra wiggle room to her advantage, Miki managed to struggle free of the Bellsprout's vines and tackled the enemy at full power. Unfortunately, it didn't look like one attack was going to stop the Bellsprout. Then Miki waved the leaf on the top of her head and shot several leaves at Bella, which made little explosions when they hit the other grass type Pokémon. However, the attack itself didn't cause much damage, and it seemed like the Bellsprout was still far from beaten.

"That was Chikorita's Razor Leaf," Victor commented in a bored tone.

"Bella, use Vine Whip again!" yelled Sage Nico. As the vines shot towards Miki, this time they did not grab her; instead, the vines viciously struck Miki several times as she cried out in pain.

"Miki, let's end this; use Leaf Storm!" I frantically ordered. I could see Victor's obvious surprise, but I ignored him as I watched Miki as glowing leaves appeared around her in a swirling current. With a cry, she shot the leaves towards the Bellsprout, causing a much bigger explosion than before. When the dust cleared, it became obvious that the Bellsprout was out of the battle.

"Bella, return," the monk said. "I'm impressed, Kat. Your Chikorita has a lot of heart, and that is what helped you two win."

"We're looking for a guy with a blue pony-tail," I mentioned as I returned Miki. "Have you seen him head up this way?"

"I saw him earlier," nodded Nico. "I'll escort you two upstairs since I have no more chores to do. I need to heal Bella as well."

As we began walking again, I asked him, "Do you have a reviver here?"

"No, we do not believe in the use of machines to heal Pokémon," Sage Nico shook his head. "We have many remedies and herbs we use here, especially the use of Pokémon attacks such as Stun Spore and Sleep Powder. I believe that is what your friend wanted to talk to the Head Sage about."

"You use Pokémon attacks for healing?" Victor looked up from Togepi.

"Yes, it is one of our own unique medicines," the monk smiled. "The Head Sage could explain it better, but we use those attacks to put Pokémon who are in pain asleep so that they can be healed more effectively."

"That's interesting, but why is Henri interested in learning about this?" the boy's emerald eyes shot towards me.

"Henri wants to be a Pokémon doctor," I explained. "He prefers to heal Pokémon rather than battle with them."

"A Pokémon doctor?" Victor frowned. "I've never heard of such a thing. Besides, it seems a waste to throw away the talent he has for combining attacks."

"No one can choose a path for someone else," Sage Nico chuckled as we climbed up the stairs. "I am sure Henri has talents in healing Pokémon as well." I was about to reply that he was right, but then I remembered that Henri said he wanted to keep his ability secret. So instead I bit my tongue and hugged Kaitou tighter.

Although Sage Nico and Victor continued to talk, I could hardly pay attention to the conversation. The feeling I had gotten when I had first spied the Sprout Tower in the distance was starting to come back in full force. There were a few Rattata running around inside, but Kaitou was so stressed that he ignored them entirely. The small Furret shivered in my arms as we climbed higher still, and I felt the tension in the air.

"It's almost nightfall," commented Sage Nico, grabbing my attention again. "I am surprised we haven't seen your friend on his way down yet." As he spoke, a shadowy form materialized in front of us; however, it wasn't Henri that appeared.

"Gaaaasssstly," the floating orb with sharp fangs said. I began to shiver uncontrollably once the dark Pokémon appeared; it seemed that this was the source of my brother's and my paranoia.

"What's a Gastly doing here?" Victor pulled out a Pokeball.

"Don't battle them," Sage Nico grabbed Victor's arm.

"Them?" Victor and I said at the same time as Kaitou said, "Ret?" Suddenly, the entire stairwell was filled with dozens of the floating Pokémon. I felt Katiou's heart skip a beat beneath my hands.

"Oh," Victor appeared to be reassessing the situation, "them."

"These ghost Pokémon inhabit the tower along with the wild Rattata," explained the monk. "Lately they have been more and more mischievous; probably because of the new leader they are following."

"Leader?" Victor's head whipped up, swerving this way and that. "Which one would that be?"

"The one with the blue aura," the monk pointed out the Pokémon. It only took me a moment to realize that the one he had pointed out was colored differently than the other Pokémon; and then came the thought that Victor was going to freak out.

"A shiny Gastly?" Victor spluttered. "What is with you two and finding shiny Pokémon?" he asked me as he released his Pokémon. It appeared that his Elekid had evolved while we were separated.

"Joule, use Shock Wave to attack that shiny Gastly," ordered Victor. With a smug grin, the Electabuzz sent out a crescent wave of electricity towards the Gastly. With an equally smug smile, the Gastly disappeared into the wall behind it, leaving the attack to crash into the other nearby ghost Pokémon. Unfortunately, this caused the remanding Pokémon to begin attacking us. Victor, Joule, and I dodged to the side but the Hypnosis attack hit Sage Nico and he immediately sunk to the floor deep in sleep.

"Joule, use Fire Punch and spin," the boy's emerald eyes glinted. With a rapid spin, the Electabuzz's flaming fist became a ring of fire that cut down the ghost Pokémon in its way. However, there were still too many of the wild Pokémon swarming for the electric Pokémon to handle on her own.

"Denka, Kaitou! You two help out too!" I yelled as the oddly-colored Gastly reappeared nearby. "Use Thundershock and Thunderpunch!" With two identical leaps into the air, Denka and Kaitou executed their electric attacks in unison. Denka's Thundershock shot down multiple ghost Pokémon as Kaitou's Thunderpunch struck one orb Pokémon after the other.

"I didn't know your Furret could actually fight," Victor sounded impressed.

If we hadn't been in the middle of a battle, I would have seriously thought about attacking him. Instead I simply said, "Just because I don't like to let my little brother fight doesn't mean he can't take care of himself." As if to prove my point, Kaitou upped the power on his Thunderpunch, creating an even bigger aura of electricity around his paw and taking out two Gastly at once.

"There are still too many of them," I turned to Victor. "We need to think of something quick!"

"Right," Victor wrenched his eyes away from the shiny Gastly. He made as if to pull another Pokeball from his belt, but suddenly the Togepi in his arms began waving its tiny arms from side to side and chanting. In a brilliant flash of light, we were suddenly standing on a level floor instead of on stairs. As I looked around with spots in my eyes, I saw Victor beside me and Sage Nico slumped on the floor next to us. Our bewildered Pokémon weren't far away, wondering what had just happened.

"Kat? Victor?" I heard a familiar voice. Turning, I spotted Henri standing on the other side of the room along with two more monks.

"Henri!" I rubbed my eyes. "Wait, that means we're on the top floor of the tower, doesn't it? How did we get up here?"

"That looked like a Teleport," Henri explained as they quickly approached us. "What happened to this sage?"

"We came looking for you, and then we were attacked by the Gastly," Victor returned his Electabuzz.

"Technically, Victor did attack them first," I corrected him as I returned Denka. "A whole bunch of those Pokémon appeared, but the other Gastly didn't attack until he had Joule attack their leader, the shiny one." Victor shot a glare at me.

"Then you children should leave the tower as soon as possible," one of the sages said as the other one helped Sage Nico sit up. "The ghosts of our tower are very vengeful spirits and won't rest until they find you. In fact, they are probably searching the tower for you right now."

"Right, I'll escort them out," Henri bowed to the man. "Thank you for everything you have taught me, Head Sage."

"Here, use this Escape Rope to leave the tower," offered the second monk. "It will take you outside of our doors."

"Thank you," Henri handed the sage some money. "That should pay for the rope and the trouble we have caused. Let's go, Kat." Henri took the Escape Rope at the same time Victor, Kaitou, Shimmer, and I grabbed onto it and the world around us zoomed by in a blur of colors. When everything stopped spinning, we were standing in front of the Sprout Tower's giant doors for the second time that evening.

"Ugh," I shook my head. "Let's never do that again." My stomach was still turning and spinning inside me even though we had stopped.

"So do you two want to tell me what it is that's going on?" asked Henri. "Why didn't you just wait for me at the Pokémon Center, Kat?"

"My egg hatched," I began.

"I noticed that," interrupted the blue-haired boy.

"And he imprinted on Victor," I continued.

"Ah, that explains why he's carrying it," nodded Henri. "So what are you two going to do about it?"

"We were hoping you had an idea," grumbled Victor.

"He has no idea how to take care of a baby Pokémon," I argued, "but I can't just take Togepi away from him."

"So Togepi has to stay with Victor, right?" checked the boy with the pony-tail.

"Well, yeah," I frowned.

"But he can't take care of it by himself, right?" pressed Henri.

"That's what I just said," I could feel my temper rising.

"Well, then he should come with us," he concluded.

"What?" Victor and I said at the same time.

"Victor, I suggest you travel with me and Kat," explained Henri. "If you're going to be keeping the Togepi, you'll need someone who is an expert at taking care of baby Pokémon. That expert would be Kat, who you just also happen to owe because she's giving you her Togepi, which is a very rare Pokémon. Sound fair to you?"

"Do I have a choice?" growled Victor. I glared at the emerald-eyed boy with enough intensity that he should have backed away slowly.

"Not really, no," chuckled Henri. "We'll figure something out for what you'll pay her back with since I doubt you want to give her one of your Pokémon. For now, let's just head back to the Pokémon Center for the night." As we headed towards the Pokémon Center, I saw Shimmer slightly relax in the corner of my eye. That's when I remembered that Henri and Victor didn't get along very well together. I felt a little guilty for ruining my bodyguard's mood for the rest of the trip simply because I was being overprotective of a Togepi that didn't even want me for a trainer.

We scraped together some leftovers at the Pokémon Center and ate a quick dinner with all of our Pokémon. I was surprised to see that Victor's Monsoon had evolved into a Croconaw; I was slightly put off by him because of the brutal trainer Henri and I had run into at the beginning of our journey. However, I tried to remember that every Pokémon was a unique creature that was influenced by a variety of things, including their trainers. His new addition to his team was a grumpy Larvitar who was guarding his food with a zest that made me nervous to have the other Pokémon nearby.

We finally settled down in the same beds that we had used the night before, with the addition of Victor in one of the extra beds in the room. I fell asleep curled with my Pokémon, missing the smooth hard shell of my egg next to me. I felt a pang of jealousy as I saw Victor curled around the Togepi with pillows set up all around him. It was going to be hard to see a Pokémon that was meant to be mine with someone else, but I was trying to be as fair about it as possible. With these thoughts in my head, I drifted to sleep listening to the breathing of all the people and Pokémon around me.

I woke up several times throughout the night to rouse a very irate Victor so that he could feed Togepi some formula. I tried to explain that having a baby Pokémon was a lot of hard work, but his mood didn't seem to improve any. By the time the sun finally came up, the boy had dark circles under his eyes like he had never had a night that he hadn't slept through entirely. However, I woke him up as soon as Henri started stirring so that we could all go down for breakfast together. We managed to grab some breakfast with minimal mishaps and decided that it would be best if we set out early.

As we walked out of Violet City, Victor piped up, "There's supposed to be some ruins near here; people say that there are rare Pokémon living there."

"I suppose you want to check it out then," grinned Henri. "Kat?"

"If you want to battle, you have to be extremely careful of hurting Togepi," I said.

"Serotonin," corrected Victor. "I decided to name him Serotonin."

I took a deep breath to keep from snapping, "Okay then. You'll have to be really careful of avoiding attacks so nothing hurts Serotonin. He's still a newborn and can be seriously injured by even a non-direct attack."

"Right," sighed Victor. "I don't suppose you could hold him if I had to battle?"

"Not unless you want to listen to him wail the entire time and possibly start attacking things," I rolled my eyes. "He's your responsibility now; I'm just here to make sure that he survives." Victor glared at me, but didn't say anything.

"I wouldn't mind doing some sightseeing," shrugged my bodyguard. "There could be something interesting there."

"Alright," I nodded. "Let's go check it out, but no battling with the baby." Although Victor seemed a little put out by my last remark, he decided to busy himself with feeding Serotonin a bottle. We spotted the entrance to the ruins not long after; they were really close to the city. The crumbling sand and stone structures were accompanied by newer buildings that housed researchers of the ruins.

"Wow," I looked around. "What happened here?"

"They're called ruins for a reason," Victor sniffed. "I wonder where the rare Pokémon I heard about are."

As I was about to reply, something caught my eye. There were scorched patches scattered here and there around the ruins, the likes of which I'd seen when a fire-type Pokémon is running rampant. I turned to the boys, "I'm going to go ask the researchers in the building over there about the ruins. Why don't you two explore and look for those rare Pokémon? Henri, you make sure he takes good care of Serotonin."

Henri raised an eyebrow questioningly, but he nodded anyway and led the way towards the nearest building. As they walked away, Shimmer glanced back and gave me a worried look. I smiled and waved to let him know that everything was alright before turning towards the research facility. I should have known something was going on when I hadn't seen any researchers working outside.

"Hello?" I opened the door to the research building. "Forgive me for coming in."

"Oh, you frightened us," a woman nearby said. There were two men standing with her, covered in bandages from what looked to be nasty burns.

"I'm sorry," I gave a small bow. "I saw the scorch marks and I was worried that you all had been attacked by a fire Pokémon. I'm Kat. Is there anything I can do?"

"Are you a Pokémon trainer?" asked one of the men.

"I just earned my first gym badge in Violet City," I admitted.

"Then you can get rid of that Growlithe!" the second man exclaimed. "Please, it has gone insane! It randomly appears and attacks anyone it sees, human and Pokémon alike. We've been trapped in here for nearly two days now!"

"Do you know why the Growlithe is attacking?" I worried. "Pokémon never do anything without a reason."

"I think I know why," the first man spoke up again. "The Growlithe that attacked us was limping horribly. Also, there isn't an area where wild Growlithe are found for miles around here; this Pokémon must have been abandoned by a trainer."

"Abandoned?" I was shocked. "Who in their right mind would abandon a seriously injured Pokémon?"

"Does it matter?" the second man began to yell. "Just get the damn thing out of here before it attacks someone again!"

"It doesn't matter if it has been abandoned?" I growled. "This Pokémon is seriously injured, lost, and confused with no one there to take care of it. It's no wonder that it's gone crazy and begun attacking people- it's frightened."

"He doesn't mean anything," the woman assured me. "We're just frightened because we have no Pokémon to battle the Growlithe and we've been trapped in here with no one to help us. Our video phone broke last week and we never got it fixed, so we couldn't call for help."

"I'll take care of the Growlithe," I decided. "But I suggest that you get that phone fixed and probably catch yourself a Pokémon too. If something like this happens again, you should be better prepared."

"Of course," agreed the first man. "We can't always expect a young trainer to come save us when we're in danger."

"Where did you last see the Growlithe?" I asked them.

"It won't take long to find it," explained the woman. "It travels around the buildings of the ruins in circles and attacks anything that it sees."

"Alright, I'm off then," I opened the door. "I'll come back and let you all know as soon as it is safe to go outside." I closed the door on them as they proclaimed their thanks for my help; I wasn't really doing this for their sakes. I avoided the building that Henri and Victor had just disappeared into and instead chose to check the perimeter of the ruins.

"Graaaaaaaaaaaaw!" suddenly roared an angry voice. Turning to my left I saw what looked to be a fluffy dog-like Pokémon standing on three of its legs. Blood was dripping from its front left paw held high in the air and it also looked to have some serious wounds on the rest of its body. It looked to be in so much pain, I was frozen in place as flames poured from its mouth.

At the last moment, Kaitou shielded me from the Growlithe's attack, crying out as the flames burned his cream-colored fur. That snapped me out of my trance; I wrapped my arms around my brother to help protect him from the fires. The fire-type Pokémon was still attacking, but I pushed Kaitou under me so that he could be shielded entirely. Then, still crouching, I took a step forward. Then another step. And then another. I could feel my skin blistering and then crisping on the back of my arms, but I still crept forward. Two more steps forward and my face was so hot, I felt sure that the sweat coming off of me was turning into steam.

Five agonizingly slow and painful steps later, and I was directly in front of the orange and cream Pokémon. I could see the suffering in its eyes as its attack wavered and the flames began to weaken. Knowing that this would be my only chance, I collapsed to my knees and pulled the Puppy Pokémon to me in a tight embrace. In its shock, the fire emitting from its mouth suddenly ceased.

"Shhh," I soothed as I stroked her back. "It's okay now. Everything is going to be okay. I'm going to take care of you now." I felt her skinny body begin to relax underneath my arms as I continued, "You're not alone anymore; I'm right here with you. Don't worry; everything is going to be okay now." Only when the Pokémon had completely relaxed did I dare to release it from my embrace. I took stock of the poor Pokémon's condition and decided that I didn't have any time to waste.

"Fur-Furret! Ret-ret, Furret!" Kaitou ran over to see how I was.

"I'll be fine," I ignored his concern. "Let's get her to Henri as quickly as we can." I turned to the fire Pokémon, "I'm going to pick you up now, okay? It might hurt a bit, but we have to get you some help." The brave Pokémon nodded and squeezed its eyes shut tightly, preparing for the pain. I decided to wrap my arms around her middle where there didn't seem to be as much damage; she was a bit heavier than I had thought, making me bend over to support her weight.

In the end I could only carry her so that her back paws were only a few inches from the ground. Kaitou was luckily not too badly burned, so he was able to walk beside me instead of riding on my shoulders. The building the boys had disappeared into was a couple yards away when my legs suddenly collapsed underneath me. I managed to fall backwards so that the injured Pokémon would land on top of me instead of being crushed by my weight. That's when I began to yell.

"!" I screamed as loudly as I could, hoping that they were still in the same building. I paused to catch my breath for a few seconds before yelling, "Sshhhhiiimmmmmmeeerrrrrrr! IIIIII nnneeeeed yyyooouuurrrrr heeeeellllpp oooouuutt hhheeeeerrrreeee, Hhhhheeeeennnnnrrrriiii!" I was relieved to see Henri, Victor, and Shimmer running towards me from another nearby building. Although shocked, Shimmer seemed relieved when he didn't spot any other Pokémon or people near us.

"Kat!" Henri crouched down next to me. "What happened?"

"This-huff-Growlithe-huff-needs-huff-your-huff-help," I gasped for breath as I tried to explain the situation. Henri immediately looked over the Growlithe and placed his hands over the most serious wound, her paw.

"Forget the Pokémon!" interrupted Victor. "What happened to your arms?"

I gave him a glare and puffed out, "Forget-huff-my arms! Huff-Take-huff-care-huff-of my-huff-brother!"

"Right!" Victor seemed to notice Kaitou for the first time. "Burn Heal! Where is it?" He threw his backpack on the ground and began to rummage through it. "Henri, do you have any Burn Heals? I can't find mine!" By the time we both looked back at Henri, the fire-type Pokémon's wounds were entirely gone.

"But how-" began Victor.

"Here," Henri tossed some of the white bandages he had bought the other day to the other boy. "You bandage her arms and I'll take care of the Pokémon."

"Just use Miki," I gestured as best I could to my belt without moving my arms too much. "She can use Aromatherapy."

"Of course!" Henri pulled the pink Pokeball off of my belt and released Miki. "Aromatherapy can heal all status conditions, including burns. Miki, if you would-" My little Chikorita gladly complied, using her sweet scents to heal Kaitou's burns.

"Fur!" Kaitou cheered, once again healthy.

"We should use some kind of salve on her wounds," Victor had pulled my jacket off to get a better look at my arms. "I'm afraid the bandages would only irritate the raw spots more as they begin to heal."

"I know Aromatherapy probably won't work, but what's wrong with just using a Burn Heal on me?" I growled, wanting them to stop fussing over me.

They glanced at each other for a moment. "I don't know about that, but Rawst Berries are known for their abilities to treat burns," Victor commented. "If you have any of those, we could make a salve with them."

"Can't hurt to try," shrugged Henri as he opened a small pouch in his bag. He pulled out some blue berries and what looked to be small leaves, "Rawst Berries for the burn and some of the Head Sage's herbs for the pain. It'll only take a moment to crush them together. Shimmer?" The Lucario took all the ingredients into his paws and smashed them together, forming an unappetizing pale blue paste.

Shimmer approached me and began gently applying the paste to my arms. "Lu-Lu, Lucario," he chastised me.

"I am holding still," I snarled at the blue Pokémon. Henri looked like he was holding in a chuckle, but Victor's brow was still creased with worry. After Shimmer used up all of the salve, Henri wrapped my arms in the bandages, making sure that they weren't too tight. When he was done, I waved my arms around a bit to see how mobile they were and was disappointed to find my movements restricted.

"So are you going to tell us what happened?" Victor snapped.

"Isn't it obvious?" my bodyguard gathered his things and stood up. "She was injured trying to rescue this little fire-type Pokémon here."

"You okay?" I asked the Growlithe. It answered with a happy bark, so I turned to my Furret, "You too, Kaitou?" He answered he was fine, but worried about me.

"Thank goodness," I sighed. "Everyone is okay. Thank you for all your help, Miki!" I praised the little grass-type, "Kaitou is much better thanks to you."

"What about you, Kat?" Victor pressed the issue. "You're not okay! What happened to the not getting into battles when there's a baby to take care of thing?"

"That's why I sent you and Henri away," I hid a faint smirk. "There was evidence of a rampaging fire-type Pokémon all over this place, and I didn't want Serotonin to accidentally get hurt. Besides, I already told you that you're the one who has to take care of the baby; I'm just an instructor."

"Well," Henri helped me up by grabbing my uninjured upper arm, "what are we going to do about your training?"

"Kaitou can help me out," I smiled down at my little brother. "He's had to be my eyes before, so this shouldn't be too hard for him." I turned to the Growlithe, "I know that someone left you here all by yourself, but I want you to know that not all people are that bad. Some of them, like Henri… and Victor, are really nice. I know that you're not very trusting of people right now, but I'd really like it if you let me prove that I'm different. Do you want to come travel with me?"

"Growlithe!" smiled the orange Pokémon happily. I reached for an empty Pokeball on my belt, but the wild Pokémon suddenly scampered out of reach. I stared after it, confused by this sudden change of mind.

"Even if Growlithe wants to come with you, it wants to make sure you're a strong enough trainer," Henri helped me shrug back into my jacket. "It wants a battle."

"Right," I nodded. "In that case, I guess I'll use Uebu." As I was reaching for my Pokeball, Miki jumped forward, clearly challenging the fire-type Pokémon. "Miki, wait! That's not a good type match up for you!"

"Chiko!" Miki waved the leaf on her head, sending a Razor Leaf at the dog Pokémon. It dodged the attack easily, showing its amazing speed.

"I guess I can't change your mind," I gave in. "Alright, Miki, use Tackle!" Recklessly charging in at full speed, Miki Tackled the Growlithe, but she was soon in danger from the Puppy Pokémon's fire attacks. She managed to dodge the first spout of fire but was then hit by a second stream of fire hidden behind the first one.

"Look out for those fire attacks!" I warned. "Use Razor Leaf!" This time Miki's long-range attack hit, but the Growlithe was still far from done. It used another Ember attack and Miki took a direct hit. I knew she was in trouble, so I had her try out a new move, "Quick, use Synthesis!" Miki glowed softly in the sunlight, taking it in to heal the damage from the fire attacks.

"Not bad," Henri supported. "Synthesis will heal Miki's wounds while you're still in battle." Miki's attack was cut short when she was forced to dodge another Ember. Then she began to glow again, becoming so bright that it was hard to look at her. When the light faded, it looked like Miki had gotten a lot bigger all of the sudden.

"Your Chikorita evolved into a Bayleef," Victor informed me.

"Way to go, Miki! Now use Leaf Storm!" I ordered. Instead of attempting to dodge Miki's strongest attack or burn the leaves with fire, the wild Growlithe charged towards my Bayleef in a blatant show of bravery. Unfortunately, Miki's attack struck it before it could reach her. I didn't want to waste any time, so I threw a Pokeball. The fire-type disappeared in a flash of red light and the Pokeball rocked around for a moment before settling with a satisfying click. I returned Miki with a grin.

"Yes! I've caught a Growlithe!" I picked up the Pokeball. "Henri, could you take care of her again?" I released the Puppy Pokémon so that Henri could heal her.

"I've got it," offered Victor. He pulled out a Super Potion and I sprayed the medicine on my newly acquired Pokémon to heal her.

"Thanks, Victor," I smiled. I patted the Growlithe's head, "I think I'll call you Hayai. What do you think, Hayai? I should get you a bow, too!" I rummaged through my pouch and pulled out a couple different ribbons before deciding on a light blue silk one. I tied it in a bow around the dog Pokémon's right ear. "There! Now you look more like part of the family, Hayai!"

"What is that all about?" Victor turned to Henri.

"Don't ask," sighed Henri.

"Oh wait!" I remembered. "I'm supposed to go tell the researchers that it's safe again to come outside." With Kaitou on my shoulders and the others following close behind me, I returned once again to the newer research building.

"I'm back!" I opened the door. "I took care of it, just like I said!" I stepped inside with the others and found the three researchers waiting nearby.

"Ah!" squealed the second man. "She brought that killer Pokémon inside with her!" The faces of the other two showed that they shared these sentiments.

"Hayai is not a monster," I knelt down and hugged the Growlithe to me. "See? I calmed her down and took care of her injuries and now she's a sweet Pokémon. The only one here at fault was the trainer who abandoned her."

"We don't mean to sound ungrateful," the woman nodded. "You seem to have been injured in your battle, as well."

"It's nothing," I gave a sigh. "I've been in worse battles before; I'll be perfectly fine in a few days. Anyway, I just wanted you three to know that it's safe outside; we'll be on our way now."

"Thank you so much for your help," the first man waved to us as we exited the building, "and good luck on your Pokémon adventure, Kat!"

As we exited the ruins, I suddenly remembered that Victor was looking for something here. "Did you find those rare Pokémon you were talking about, Victor?"

"There weren't any Pokémon at all in those buildings," frowned the raven-haired boy. "Just some random carvings that looked like they were scrambled."

"I'm sure we'll have better luck on the route to Azalea Town," smiled Henri.

"Azalea Town?" I cocked my head to one side as I thought about it. "What's in Azalea Town?"

"Well, the next Pokémon Gym is there, to begin with," Henri adjusted his glasses. "Plus, Azalea is the home of Kurt, a man who makes Pokeballs out of apricorn cores. If you want to know about catching Pokémon, that's the best place to start."

"Sounds good," I nodded. I looked down at the smiling faces of Kaitou and Hayai as they walked on either side of me. "Ready, everyone? To Azalea Town!" Laughing, I ran ahead of the boys with Hayai and Kaitou bounding at my heels.

"Kat, slow down!" Victor yelled as the others began to chase us.


	11. Chapter 11 Henri

Kat laughed even more at Victor yelling after her. I shook my head but took off after them, laughing with Kat. We raced out of the ruins like that, Kat leading the way and Victor and I in a head-to-head race for second place. He was having problems balancing Serotonin in his arms and I could hear him muttering quietly under his breath.

However, the one-day old baby was trilling happily, waving his arms in the air and clearly enjoying the speed. I wonder if Kat and I had something to do with that, running everywhere when we'd first gotten his egg.

We ran through the guard house, receiving strange looks from the attendants as we passed. Outside the house, there was a short packed-dirt road that ended abruptly into grass. This route didn't seem as well maintained as the other ones' I'd seen. The trees encircled the route, pushing in so close that I would have almost called it a forest.

Kat continued to race onward, leaving Victor and I to catch up. I took notice that cliffs and plateaus rose up on either side of the trail, and the ground became slightly uneven and rocky.

"Hold it!" A raspy bellow came from the woods on the left of us, causing me to jump, misstep and almost fall. I recovered quickly, standing in a ready stance. Kat dropped into a defensive crouch, facing in the direction of the yell, her, Kaitou and Hayai ready for an attack. Victor gave a short cry and lurched, but managed to stop just before he barreled into Kat.

"Who's there? Come out of the woods." Shimmer was in a ready-stance, prepared for an attack. An old man walked out of the woods, hands held up in a peaceful sign. About 50 years old, with crazily spiked white hair and dark clothes.

"Whoa, calm down sonny. Didn't mean to scare you, but this route has become dangerous of late, especially for kids. I can't let you through."

"Don't worry. We can take care of ourselves." Kat grinned and showed the badge pinned to her coat. "So, we'll be going now, okay?"

The old man shook his head. "Normally, that'd be all well and good. But there've been a lot of strange things happening in the canyon ahead, recently. So, I'm sorry but I can't let you pass." He waved at the path ahead with a hand, which I noticed was severely arthritic. The fingers were long and crooked, almost like claws.

"Listen, we're fine. Look, I have a badge too." Victor pulled out a case and flipped it open, showing the Zephyr Badge. Kat looked at me expectantly. I sighed and pulled out my own Badge case. Victor's eyes widened, seeing the filled case.

"My goodness! Eight badges!" The old man gave a low, impressed chuckle. "You must be quite the trainer.

I shrugged. "I guess. You said that there have been strange things happening, right? Like what? And when did it start?" A troubled look passed over his face.

"Well, it was about a week ago. The canyon started feeling different. It was like a presence had moved in all of a sudden. Trainers have started disappearing. On top of that, Pokemon started popping up left and right, one's that definitely don't belong here. Dark types appearing in the middle of the day and Ghosts, too. And then there's that one Pokemon…a very odd looking creature. Purple skin, with claws and gems for eyes. It's like nothing I've ever seen before."

"I never heard of a Pokemon like that before." Victor admitted. Kat nodded an agreement.

"I have." Victor, Kat and the old man looked at me. "It sounds like a Sableye, a Ghost/Dark type from Hoenn. I can't think of what it'd be doing here."

"Who knows? Maybe another abandoned Pokemon. Either way, it explains why there are Ghost and Dark Pokemon appearing suddenly." Victor commented. "Well, old man, thanks for your concern. We'll be on guard and keep our eyes open."

Victor walked away, up the path towards the canyon. Kat and I followed, leaving the old man sputtering.

We started to walk off, and I turned back to thank him for his concern. My breath caught in my chest. There was no one there. Not even an impression in the grass where he'd stood. A chill so cold went through me like I'd been dropped in ice water.

I fell in step behind Kat and Victor, Shimmer by my side. I decided not to bring it up to them, but kept my eyes open and watching. The old man, who- or whatever he was, was right about one thing. There was something very wrong here.

It wasn't long before the mouth of the canyon was visible. I noticed there were no trainers in the area, but the atmosphere was heavy and tense, almost predatory. It sent more shivers up my spine. Victor was picking his way carefully over the ground, trying not to jostle the baby too much. However, Serotonin started squirming in his arms, trilling loudly. Victor jerked in surprise. "What? What's the matter with him?"

Kat looked at the little baby for a minute. "He's just tired. Babies sleep a lot when they're first born." She grinned suddenly. "Try singing him a lullaby. That'll put him to sleep fast enough."

"What? I'm not singing him to sleep!" Serotonin started crying louder, causing Victor to wince. He tried to 'shush' him, but that only made the poor baby cry even more.

"Victor, you're going to have to do something or he won't stop crying." Kat scolded. Victor tried to glare at her, but with a baby crying in his arms he didn't look particularly intimidating. Kat snorted, obviously our minds on the same thought.

"Just hum and rock him. You don't have to sing, just something that has a somewhat soothing melody." I advised him.

"Can't I just put him in his Pokeball?" I would have said Victor's voice was almost a whine. Kat just glared at him, telling him without words exactly what she thought of that idea.

He gave a look that was half glare and half grimace, but started gently rocking Serotonin back and forth, humming under his breath. After a minute, Serotonin stopped fussing and started dozing off. Victor looked so uncomfortable with the whole situation that I had to look away to cover my laughter.

Kat seemed to find it just as amusing and didn't bother to hide it, giggling though she kept it quiet enough to not bother Serotonin's nap. Frankly, I was surprised that she could be so happy and amused after having to give up a Pokemon that was supposed to have been hers. I can honestly say that I would have been extremely upset, if not down right angry.

It wasn't long before the gorge rose up right in front of us. It _looked_ like any other canyon I'd seen: golden yellow stone, rising about 60 or 70 feet above our heads, the floor a mix of sand and pebbles. But again, there was the heavy air hovering through the chasm. And I wasn't the only one who noticed.

Kaitou jumped up onto Kat's shoulder again, curling around her neck, eyes shifting warily. Shimmer's walk changed from relaxed to guarded. The fact that he could sense the aura more acutely than the rest of us made him all the more on edge. Serotonin was, luckily, asleep; he felt perfectly safe in the arms of his 'mama'. Hayai walked closer to Kat, ears perked and eyes shifting. Seeing the Pokemon so uncomfortable didn't put me at ease at all.

The whole thing didn't really lend itself to light-hearted conversation or really any conversation at all. Walking into the valley, the sunlight didn't reach the bottom of the ravine, leaving shadows to fall over us. It was also several degrees cooler than it should have been. I could easily believe that there was two or three dozen ghosts hanging around.

"Anyone else think there's something wrong with this whole area?" Victor inquired softly. I nodded.

"It feels like there's something watching us." Hair on the back of my neck stood up, the silence was oppressive and my shoulders tensed to the point of pain. Finally, I just couldn't take it anymore and grabbed one of the Pokeballs from my belt. "Chaos, come out." A flash of red light and the white and black Pokemon was facing me, waiting for an explanation. "Chaos, keep an eye out for anything unusual, alright? There's something not right about this place."

"Absol." With Chaos and Shimmer, both very experienced battlers and used to being on look-out, I felt much better. What's more, they had certain abilities that made them more likely to sense something that other Pokemon wouldn't, and faster too.

Chaos took point while Shimmer brought up the rear; I took left side and Hayai flanked on the right leaving Kat and Victor, or more importantly Victor and _Serotonin_, in the middle. I also kept one hand on Tsuki's Pokeball. With the feel of the area, the old man's warning, and the disappearance of the man himself, I was taking no chances.

As we moved deeper into the canyon, I noticed several shadows that seemed deeper and darker than they should have been. One seemed to be shaking slightly and I focused on it, waiting to see if it would move.

"-enri. Henri. Henri!" A sharp tug across my chest and on my neck as my bag became a leash that almost toppled me backwards. "Seriously, Henri! Pay attention, would you?" Kat gave another sharp tug on the bag. "Look over there." She pointed ahead of us, a little to the left.

At first, I didn't know what she was trying to point out. All I saw was rocks and more shadows. A sudden gleam in one of the darker shadows caught my eye, drawing it to the crouched shape in between the rocks. Once I saw it, the shadows seemed to melt off and I could clearly see the Sableye, peeking from behind the stones, with gemstone eyes and a wickedly sharp smile.

"The Sableye!" Victor exclaimed. The bejeweled Pokemon's grin grew even wider and it jumped out from behind the boulders into the open. It was thin and crouched over and the blue crystal eyes gleamed in the semi-twilight of the canyon.

"Joule! I need you!" Victor didn't even bother to keep his voice down, releasing the Electabuzz confidently.

"Victor! What are you doing?" Kat tried to keep her voice down, for Serotonin's sake, but that was something she seemed to have trouble with when she was angry. However, Victor didn't seem to have the sense of self-preservation that most intelligent humans did; he ignored her.

"Joule, use Shock Wave!" The electric Pokemon obeyed immediately, sending several waves of electricity towards the imp-like Pokemon…which promptly melted back into the shadows. I just barely managed to track the darkness as it flitted across the ground to appear right behind Joule.

"Again!" He yelled, which would have been a fine move because at close range it would have done a lot of damage. But Joule had to turn around to use the attack and when the Sableye jumped up, using Joule as a springboard and literally vaulting over her back into its' original place, she had already unleashed her attack…directly at us.

Kaitou and Hayai guarded Kat, protecting her from the attack. Kaitou used Thunder Punch to draw the electricity to his fisted paw and then run it harmlessly into the ground, not one spark straying anywhere near Kat.

"Shimmer! Chaos!" I could only be happy that my Pokemon understood me as well as they did and could anticipate orders. Before I could finish calling their names, both were moving.

Shimmer moved in front of Victor and used a version of Aura Sphere that we had perfected for situations like this. Instead of creating a ball of Aura and blasting it towards the foe, Shimmer shaped a circular shield and used the spiraling energy to deflect attacks. Chaos created a second barrier of defense between the attack and Serotonin by physically putting himself between Shimmer and Victor.

However that left me with no protection, whatsoever. I dodged to the left to avoid the attack, but a stray bolt managed to get me in the right shoulder, which went almost instantly numb. I had to give Victor credit for having such a powerfully trained Pokemon.

Victor cursed at loosing sight of the rare Pokemon but didn't push Shimmer or Chaos out of the way. When everything died down, I saw Victor desperately searching for Sableye.

"Beyeyeyeye." The laugh came from the left. Looking up, I could see it on a small ledge, just above our heads, laughing into its' hands. It clearly enjoyed watching the chaos it caused.

"Joule! We're going after it!" Victor ran up to me and shoved Serotonin into my arms, rudely wakening the baby and causing him to start wailing. "Here! It's not safe right now." He then took off after the dark Pokemon. At the cliff face, he wrapped his arms around Joules' shoulders, clinging to her as she jumped and followed the Sableye up the cliff.

"Victor!" Kat yelled after him, clearly infuriated. I didn't bother yelling after him. Instead I shook off the paralysis in my arm. Serotonin was crying fiercely and in an effort to make him stop, I dug out the Soothe Bell Mr. Pokemon had given me and looped it around the Egg Pokemon's neck. The musical chiming of the bell seemed to distract him from his crying, luckily, but he still wasn't happy.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the shadow I'd been watching earlier darken and solidify. It was a Haunter. The expression on its face was dark and truly terrifying. Behind it a Gastly and Misdreavus materialize. A quick scan to my other side showed another Gastly and a _Gengar_, about 30 yards away and closing in. Ghosts in the middle of the day, just as the old man had said, and we were surrounded.

"Chaos, Kat. Shimmer, with me." I motioned Kat over to me and deposited Serotonin into her arms, much to her shock. Thankfully, Serotonin didn't make too much of a fuss about it, but he did spend most of the last week in Kat's arms, anyway.

"Henri? What are you doing?" I 'shushed' her with a gesture. She glared at me.

"Take Kaitou and get on Chaos, now. We're following Victor's example." A look and I saw that the Ghost-types were only 20 yards from us.

"How can you say that? I'm not going to do that, not with Serotonin here. That's seriously dangerous." She snapped at me. 15 yards.

"Well it's not going to be any safer down here, if they have any say about it." I waved my hand at the ghosts behind her. Any other time, I would have laughed at the expression on her face but right now I was trying to keep us out of danger. "We need to go, now." She nodded and unceremoniously scrambled onto Chaos' back, Kaitou on her shoulders. Hayai, however, growled at the Ghosts, challenging them.

"Hayai! Return!" Kat forced the brave fire-dog back into her Pokeball.

"Chaos, go, now!" I ordered the Dark-type, wanting to get the baby out of harms way as fast as possible. He quickly followed Joule's footsteps up the side of the cliff, surefooted and confident.

I waited until they reached the top before following with Shimmer. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, same as Victor, and with a sudden jolt we were scaling the cliff. This wasn't the first time I've had to do this and if you weren't prepared for the shock, you could easily dislocate your shoulders.

As Shimmer climbed, I looked down to see if the ghosts were following. Luckily, they weren't. In fact, the Haunter was surrounded by the other ghosts, unable to escape. As I watched, the Haunter attacked. It missed, and the other ghosts closed in. Out of the corner of my eye, one more shadow started moving. Before I could make out what it was beyond blond hair and a flash of violet, Shimmer gave one more giant leap and we cleared the edge of the cliff.

At the top of the plateau, Kat had already slid off of Chaos' back. She looked a little green, not surprisingly. Riding on a Pokemon is something of an acquired talent and scaling a cliff wall wasn't ideal for a first experience.

A quick survey of the area proved that the top of the plateau was even rockier than the ground. Victor was over on the other edge, still battling the Sableye but he now had his Larvitar out. It was 2 against one, one on either side of the Darkness Pokemon, and they still couldn't land one hit on it, though Victor seemed to be calling out just about every combination of attacks that he could think of.

Picking our way across to Victor was a little harder than it looked, the small shifting rocks promising sprained and twisted ankles if we misstep. Just as we got close to him and, consequently, the edge of the cliff that overlooked the sea and a bed of jagged rocks, Victor called out another attack.

"Aftershock! Use Iron Head!" The small green Larvitar glowed white and rushed its' foe. This time I couldn't even track the Sableye as it dodged and disappeared. Aftershock smashed straight into a jutting rock. There was a sickening crack; a large series of fractures appeared, radiating from the stone; the earth shifted a fraction of an inch.

There was a moment of silence. Then the ground underneath us crumbled away, and we fell.

"Ahhhhh!" Multiple cries of fear, the sound of rocks crashing into each other, it was terrifying. Stones flew all around, digging into my back; one stone caught me across the cheek. I couldn't catch more than glimpses of Kat or Victor, and I couldn't see Shimmer or Chaos at all. We were rushing towards the water and jagged rocks, and there was no way to stop. But maybe…

I grabbed a Pokeball from my belt, releasing Tsuki.

"Tsuki! Use Surf!"

Immediately, I heard the rushing of water. Looking down, I saw the tide rising rapidly, creating a huge wave. Wrapping my arms around Tsuki's neck, I swung myself onto her back and clung like a burr, bracing for the collision.

Cold water swirled around us as Tsuki dived into the wave, rocks falling everywhere. It was disorienting and I trusted Tsuki to get us to safety. She weaved in and out of the rocks, swimming as fast as she could away from the cliffs, surfacing every so often.

After what felt like an eternity, Tsuki breached the surface and didn't dive back down. Looking around, all I saw was the sea. There was a thin line of golden brown that I think was the cliffs, but I couldn't be sure. Other than that, and a few grey rocks off to left, there wasn't anything else. No Kat or Victor. No Chaos; no Shimmer.

A surge of worry rushed through me. With Kat's arms as burned as they were, it would make it a torture to try to swim in the salt water. On top of that, there was no telling if they'd been hit with falling rocks. Either of them could have a concussion, broken bones…there were any number of injuries that a rock slide could cause. The possibility of drowning was very real as well.

"You're gonna end up hyperventilating, carrying on like that." I whipped my head around and saw a girl sitting on one of the gray rocks. Pink hair, wet and pulled into a loose ponytail; blue eyes, bright with amusement; sky blue and black outfit, also wet. How had I not seen her there? Tsuki swam up to the rock. There was barely room for one on it, so I stayed on Tsuki's back.

"You were worrying about your friends, right? They're fine." She waved her hand at the cliffs. A bunch of questions came to mind and I just asked them as I thought them.

"Who are you? What do you mean? How do you know that?" She gave a short laugh.

"Micah Steele, I mean they're fine, and because I was watching. That answers all your questions, I believe." I nodded reluctantly.

"I'm Henri. How were you watchi-" She brandished a pair of binoculars in my face. I made out the brand of 'Devon Co.' on the top. I racked my brain before remembering that "Devon" was a major corporation in Hoenn.

"High-powered binoculars." She pushed them at my chest, and I had to grab them or risk them falling into the ocean. "Look 15° North-west, max zoom."

I quickly followed the directions and saw, with perfect clarity, Victor and Kat with all the Pokemon. Even from this far, I could see Kat berating Victor over something or another and that made me laugh. They were sitting, obviously worn out, on a wooden dock of some kind. Shimmer and Chaos, both sopping wet and none to happy about that fact, were pacing around, looking for me. Monsoon sat, scaled skin gleaming, next to Victor; he looked like he wanted to protect his trainer from the white-haired girl's wrath, but was coming up short. All in all, everyone was fine. I sighed in relief and gave the binoculars back. Then a thought came to me.

"Why were you watching us?" I looked at Micah suspiciously. She didn't _look_ dangerous, but then looks could be deceiving. Take Kat for example. Micah caught my look and started laughing.

"Don't flatter yourself. I wasn't watching _you._ I've been staking out the area, trying to figure out what's been going on recently." She glanced up at the sky. "It's going to get dark soon. There's a Pokemon Center about 3 miles that way." Waving her hand off the south. "You should grab your friends and head that way as soon as possible. You don't want to be caught out at night right now."

She stood up and stretched, allowing me to see the rest of her clothes. Black waist jacket covered a sky blue tank-top, black shorts with blue stripes on the side, black hiking boots, blue belt which held 4 Pokeballs, and what looked like a grappling hook.

"Do you need a ride back to shore?" Manners ingrained in me from a young age made me ask. But she was shaking her head before I even finished my offer.

"Thanks, but no. I can take care of myself." I wondered if she was going to swim back to shore. I didn't have the chance to wonder long, as she let out a shrill whistle. Instantly, a Pokemon rose from the water. Skin as blue as the water, flat with an easy 6'ft wing span, the Mantyke zipped happily back and forth through the waves.

"Come on, Tinni. Time to go." Micah climbed carefully onto the Kite Pokemon's back, kneeling. The baby stayed still only long enough for its' trainer to climb on. Once it was sure that Micah wouldn't be dislodged, it zoomed away, off in the direction that its trainer indicated.

"Come on, Tsuki. Let's get the others." An echo of Micah's words, I noted humorously. I pat Tsuki's neck affectionately, noting how her scales gleamed in the failing sunlight. She sang a few happy notes and started swimming towards the wooden docks I'd seen Kat and Victor on.

Even without the help of a wave behind us, Tsuki was able to reach the docks in about 10 minutes. Shimmer was, of course, the first to notice my approach. After 9 years as partners, he was finely tuned to my presence. He called out happily, distracting Kat from scolding Victor, who was again holding a sleeping Serotonin. She grinned, with a good deal amount of relief, and waved.

"Henri! You're okay!" I nodded, jumping off of Tsuki's back as soon as the dock was close enough.

"Yeah, thanks to Tsuki. She's the one that got me out of there safely. Why are you yelling at Victor, Kat?" I asked. Even though I was fairly sure of the answer, Victor seemed a little too relieved that Kat was distracted, and that was just no good. The question caused her to round on the black-haired boy again.

"We've been discussing his fitness as the parent of a baby Pokemon, haven't we?" Kat's glare intensified as she spoke. Victor stood defensively but he didn't look her in the eye, indicating that he _knew_ he was in the wrong.

"Ah, I believe that I have a few things to say on that matter as well." Victor bristled at that and glared at me. I noted that he had no problem meeting my eye.

"Well don't! I'm fairly sure I've heard it already, all right?" Kat growled at him, but I cut her off. I spoke with chilled, quiet voice that wouldn't disturb Serotonin.

"No, it's not alright. Because I know that you haven't heard what I have to say, and you will listen." I stepped forward, using what little height advantage I had on him to my benefit.

"I may not know much about new-born baby Pokemon, but I know enough about Pokemon in general to know that your actions this afternoon was beyond mistreatment. Serotonin will only evolve and grow stronger if he feels that he can trust you. That will _never_ happen if he thinks that you'll causally toss him aside whenever it is convenient for you. In fact, it will undermine his confidence so badly that he could fall into depression. If I even _think_ that will be the case, I'm telling you now; I have no problems forcing you to give him right back to Kat. It would be a lot better for him than to have to deal with that kind of systematic neglect. Understood?" Victor nodded, slightly pale and clutching Serotonin to his chest.

I wasn't blind. I remember the way Victor had carefully tucked the baby in just the night before. In the ruins, despite his desire to find rare Pokemon, he had been extremely cautious, taking care to pick his way though the ruins so he didn't jostle the Togepi. Even earlier, placing Serotonin with me was just his way of getting the baby out of a potentially dangerous situation. Even in such a short period of time, Victor had grown to care about the baby Pokemon as any parent would. Now made aware of the possible effects of his actions, I honestly thought he'd be excellent at raising Serotonin, just as long as he was willing to listen to helpful and well-meaning advice.

"Good." I stepped back and caught sight of Kat's face. It was torn between shock, satisfaction, and amusement, which told me that I probably wasn't nearly as intimidating as I was trying to be. Kaitou jumped onto her shoulders, curling around her neck. A flicker of pain passes through her eyes, and I saw how her arms tensed.

"Let's get your bandages changed, Kat. Then we need to head to the Pokemon Center." I dug in my bag, thanking Arceus that it was water-resistant, pulling out fresh bandages and bottles of water. Victor looked at me, while Kat held her arms out.

"There's a Pokemon Center around here?" I nodded at his question, pulling the soaked bandages off of her arms. With the water, I gently washed the remains of the salve away. The skin was still exceedingly red, but it did seem like it had done some good. I pulled out more Rawst berries and some leaves that the Head Sage gave me, giving them to Shimmer to mix.

"The Center is about 3 miles that way." I pointed south. "We should get there in about a half-hour." I quickly wrapped her arms as soon as Shimmer applied the paste. "We'll have to change your bandages frequently, Kat. It doesn't do any good for you to get an infection from dirty bandages." She nodded, but glared at her arms anyway. I knew she didn't like the way the bandages restricted her movements.

"Well, we better get to that Pokemon Center. That's enough excitement for one day." Victor announced, returning Monsoon to his Pokeball. I nodded, packed my things, and returned Tsuki and Chaos both to their Pokeballs as well. And we headed off.

I had estimated that we would reach the Center in a half-hour. In fact, it barely took 15 minutes. The dock, which I realize was more of a bridge for fishermen, ended directly behind the Pokemon Center, though most of the building was concealed by the surrounding trees. Only its red roof was visible above the tree-line.

Inside the Pokemon Center the mood was rather subdued. There were a few trainers scattered around the lobby with their Pokemon, wary and on guard. Voices were hushed and quiet, rarely getting to normal speaking tones. Nurse Joy weaved in and out of everyone, tending to them and offering kind words to trainer and Pokemon alike. I did notice that she looked at the clock often, but then, Micah had said that it was a bad idea to be caught outside at night, and sunset wasn't far off.

"Hey, blue-hair! Henri! Over here!" Micah's already familiar voice called over the noise of the other trainers. She was sitting in a spacious cushioned alcove, surrounded by her Pokemon. There was Tinni, in addition to a Bayleef, a Flaafy, and a Pidgeotto. The pink haired girl waved us over, and I saw no reason not to join her. She grinned.

"I was starting to wonder if you'd make it. These are your friends?" She looked at Kat and Victor, and Shimmer and Kaitou.

"Yes. Micah, this is Kat, Victor and my partner Shimmer. Guys, this is Micah Steele. She's the one that told me about the Pokemon Center." Kat smiled, looking at Micah's Pokemon. The Bayleef squealed, rushing at Kat for attention.

"You're the one who chose Chikorita the same day Victor got his Totodile. I remember you were standing outside the lab before dawn." Micah looked closely at Kat and then laughed.

"Oh! You're Prof. Elm's assistant. I thought I'd seen you from somewhere. Chika is still as over-active as ever, as you can see. This happy girl is Tinni. Hawkin is the hypervigilant Pidgeotto and Pharos is the lazy Flaafy over there." Each Pokemon came over at the sound of their name, introducing its self to us. Pharos held out a paw to me and I shook it, grinning at the very laid-back air he exuded.

Nurse Joy walked over to us. She didn't look well; with dark circles under her eyes and pale skin, she looked exhausted. Nonetheless, she gave a welcoming smile.

"Hello there. I'm glad you've made it here safely. Micah told me to expect three more trainers, but she couldn't tell me how many Pokemon there would be. Still, I've prepared a late dinner for you all, if you'll just follow me."

My stomach growled, reminding me that we hadn't eaten since breakfast. Glancing at the others' faces, I could tell they were just as hungry. Micah looked just as hungry. I guess she must have been out on that rock all day or at least most of the afternoon. We followed Nurse Joy through the Pokemon Center while Micah praised our guide.

"Nurse Joy is an amazing cook. She could be a professional chef if she wanted to be. It's like nothing you've ever tasted." Nurse Joy laughed lightly.

"You're over-exaggerating, Micah. It's true, I love to cook but I wouldn't give up being a nurse for anything. I love caring for Pokemon even more."

The room that Nurse Joy led us to was roughly the size of the lobby, a long rectangle. It had a small kitchen in the back of the room, while tables filled the remaining floor space. A Blissey scurried back and forth through the kitchen grabbing plates, utensils and other necessary dining implements.

I could smell the rich scent of miso soup, combining with the spice of a curry and it made my mouth water. On top of what I could smell, I saw fruit, salad, a pitcher of iced tea, a pot of hot water for hot tea, and lemonade.

We release our Pokemon. I scooped Kyun up immediately. It would be night soon and then Kyun would be lost to the world. He would be the first one I'd be tending to tonight. Meanwhile, Uebu and Denka inspected Hayai, before welcoming the fiery puppy with smiles and cheers. Tsuki, Kyun, Aluriel and Drake also studied her, before settling down besides Kat's and Micah's Pokemon, enjoying the company of new friends.

My Pokemon seemed to have no problem accepting each new addition, as our group continued to grow. I watched Chika run up to Monsoon, excitedly. She seemed to have no fear of the moody Croconaw but then, they were raised together at Prof. Elm's lab, so I guess it was only natural.

It took a while, but we managed to get all 14 of our Pokemon settled down and fed. I felt a surge of approval, seeing Micah putting her team as first priority as well.

Just as I was about to sit down to my own food, I caught Kat trying to 'sneak' Shimmer tea again. I grinned. She'd been doing it off and on the entire trip, whenever she thought I wasn't looking. This time, I figured I wouldn't let it pass.

"Kat." I made my voice out to be scolding, and schooled my expression to one of disapproval. She jumped, and a look of something vaguely like guilt crossed her face. I shook my head, grinning, and handed her a tin. "Use this instead. It's a Coba-Starf Berry blend. It's his favorite." She blinked a few times, gave a sheepish smile and took the tin.

Dinner was wonderful. The food was every bit as delicious as Micah had bragged, and I was helping all my Pokemon and myself to seconds and thirds. It was, however, _not_ a quiet affair. Kaitou seemed to have discovered a new game of swiping the other Pokemon's food as well as the people. Now, with most of the Pokemon, it wasn't such a big deal. They knew that Kaitou was just playing, and they weren't bothered. Things were fairly calm; until Kaitou tried to take Aftershock's food. The little Larvitar took huge offense to that, and started to chase the thief. Both Kat and Victor were trying to get their respective Pokemon settled down, though they weren't having much luck of it. I pulled out some Poffin treats, and started bribing Kaitou.

"Kaitou, if you calm down and leave Aftershock's food alone, I'll give you these Poffin." I barely had time to react as the little normal type climbed up me, and swiped the little pastries from my hand. He was gone in the flick of a tail, back on the floor.

We watched as Kaitou bounded over to Aftershock. Before the Larvitar could decide to try to attack him again, Kaitou offered him several of the Poffin. Aftershock watched him dubiously, before taking them. There seemed to be a bit of a truce between them as they sat together, polishing off the rest of the Poffin.

"Is it always this crazy?" Micah laughed. Kat grinned.

"Oh this is pretty calm, actually." Kat glanced at me. "You really shouldn't reward him for causing trouble, Henri." I smiled.

"I don't think it's a big deal. Besides, he _likes_ my cooking, so he's okay in my book." She snorted. A sudden thought occurred to me and I looked at Micah. "Micah, you said you were staking out the canyon, right? Did you find out anything?" She nodded.

"Yeah. Roughly 6 days ago, when I first passed through the canyon, I heard noises." I tried to say something, but was cut off. "Not Pokemon noises. Machinery, people's voices, construction. I thought it was really odd, seeing as there wasn't anyone else in sight. Unfortunately, when I tried close-up investigation, I got chased away by a flock of Murkrow. So I started watching from afar. That rock you found me on gave me the best vantage point. I saw people, dressed in black, setting up some kind of device. Small, boxy; it had an unfinished look to it, a lot of wires sticking out everywhere. It did have the Silph logo on it. Whatever it was, once it was turned on, that's when the ghosts started showing up. More and more everyday, until it was a swarm. Then, sometime yesterday morning, they all packed up and left. Not a single one stayed behind to deal with all the ghosts. Careless scientists, if you ask me." Victor nodded.

"It does make sense, though. Silph has been known to do field testing on new devices. How else would they know if the thing works or not. And a device that can make Pokemon swarm? It would be so much easier to catch rare Pokemon that way. Pokemon swarm, for one reason or another. They disappear after a while, not such a big deal, really."

"Well, most people aren't very comfortable around ghosts." I glanced at Kat and Kaitou out of the corner of my eye. Kat caught me and stuck her tongue out. "I didn't think it was fantastic to be chased by that Haunter up a _cliff_." That threw Micah into a fit of giggles. Still, Victor was right. Swarms dissipated after a time, so there was no reason to worry.

The rest of the meal was rather peaceful, and night came on fast. We were all exhausted after such a long day. Nurse Joy helpfully showed us to one of the spare rooms, just down the hall from Micah.

Kat quickly made her floor-nest, curling up with Hayai at her side, Miki at her back, Uebu, Denka and Kaitou positioned in various places on top of her. Victor was giving Serotonin one last feeding for the night, while my Pokemon bedded down as well. I was about to do the same, but after scaling a cliff, then a rockslide causing me to fall into the ocean, I was filthy. So I took one wistful look at the bed, grabbed my spare clothes and headed of towards the showers, calling over my shoulder to inform Kat and Victor where I was going.

The shower itself only took me about 15 minutes or so, and I was walking back to our room before too much time had passed. I noticed that as somber as the Pokemon Center had been during the day, it became almost frightening at night. There was a current of anxiety running through the hallways. I wondered how long it'd been like this, but I could only think that it started the very same time that the canyon had been invaded by the same energy.

Voices carried through the still air, coming from the main lobby; Nurse Joy's and a man's. I headed toward the voices, keeping close to the wall. Peaking around the corner brought the man, or rather older teen, into view. Wild blond hair captured with a purple headband, a black sweater over white pants, with a red-tipped purple scarf completing his outfit. He had the air of strength and confidence combined with a honest, kind face and mysterious purple eyes.

"…it wasn't quite as successful as I would have liked, Nurse Joy. I had the Haunter surrounded, but there was a rockslide and it managed to get away. Even if I do capture it, I'm not sure how much of the problems is being caused by that one Pokemon alone. There's something else disturbing the ghosts." He looked out a window, as if the night had answers. "Something has to be stirring them up for them to be gathering like this. Still, I won't leave until I've dealt with that Haunter. It seems to be agitating the situation, if nothing else. " Nurse Joy seemed both worried and relieved at the teen's news.

"Well, no one's ever been able to determine the reason Pokemon swarm. Hopefully, it'll calm down soon. I trust you to take care of the ghosts, Morty. Once they're gone, people will start traveling through again…"

I crept back down the hall, towards our room. Nurse Joy obviously hadn't know that there was going to be scientists doing field experiments practically outside her Center. I didn't know if it was mandatory for such notifications to be sent out, but it seemed like a common courtesy to me. Still, Nurse Joy had taken actions, by calling in that Morty guy, to set everything right.

"I don't know, Shimmer. Things seem just a little too… I don't know, off about this whole thing. We're making an awful lot of assumpti-…"

It was then I noticed that Shimmer, who hadn't come to the bathroom with me, was walking quietly at my side. When had he shown up?

"Shimmer, what are you doing? Why aren't you with the others?"

I got a _look_ for my questions.

"It's not like I'm going to get lost in the Pokemon Center, Shimmer. It would have been fine if you had stayed with everyone else. Ah, well, never mind. As I was saying, we're making an awful lot of assumptions about this whole thing. There's something off, but…" I shrugged helplessly.

My partner nodded in agreement, which always made me feel better. Shimmer was more aware of… well, everything. If he thought something was off, then I wasn't being paranoid. I was about to ask Shimmer what, exactly, he'd sensed from the canyon, but I stopped when an odd scent started wafting through the hall. The sweetness of it made me realize exactly what it was: Aromatherapy. I raced to our room and saw a dimming ray of yellow-green light from under the door.

'_What in the world could have happened in a half-hour that Miki had to _heal_ someone?'_

Despite my worry and anxiety, I opened the door carefully; I didn't want to startle anyone into attacking. To my shock, there was…nothing. Everything was perfectly fine. The light was off and Kat and Victor were both asleep. Hayai and Chaos looked up at my entrance, and seeing that it was me and Shimmer, went back to sleep. Not a worry at all.

The anxiety fell away, replaced with exhaustion. All the weird happenings today had me freaking out over the littlest thing. The sweet scent of Aromatherapy filled the room, pleasant and not at all overpowering. In fact it was relaxing, taking away all the stress built up over the day. Bless Miki; this must have been her intention. Tomorrow, I was going to spoil the Leaf Pokemon rotten.

I picked my way though piles of Pokemon, taking care not to step on fins, tails, or paws. Scooping Kyun off my pillow, I collapsed on the bed and fell asleep in seconds.

I woke up tangled in blankets, with Kyun trilling in my ear. I could hear Victor and Kat already up and moving, along with the chorus of Pokemon noises as the fourteen of them woke as well. I struggled with my blanket for a minute or two while the other two laughed.

"Good morning, Henri." Kat couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice. Not, mind you, that she really tried, either.

"Morning, Kat." I cheered myself silently as I finally managed to kick free of the blanket trap. Shimmer handed me my glasses, allowing me to see more than just vague colors. Kat and Victor were both dressed and ready for the day, and I saw Kat scratching at her bandages. I sighed, and swatted her hands away from her arms.

"They'll scar if you scratch at them. Let's change them, but you can't go scratching them, Kat." I got out new bandages, berries, water and leaves.

"But they_ itch_. And I can't hardly bend my elbow, either." I laughed at the tone in her voice and started unwrapping the bandages.

"And who was it that went after a fire-type? And who was it that said that it would be no problem, that Kaitou would help? You'll just have to deal until it gets bett…er?"

I grabbed Kat's arm, gently turning it this way and that. The pale blue paste was dried, flaking off bit by bit, and the bandages were slowly unraveling under my hands. But…there were no burns. None of the damage, which had been bright furious red just yesterday, remained.

"Henri? What-….hey! My arms are healed! Kaitou, look!" She showed her healed arms to all her Pokemon, celebrating. Victor came up, grabbing her arms, confirming what I'd already seen.

"But…but how is that possible?" Kat jerked her arms out of Victor's hands, and happily _tore_ the rest of the bandages off, positively gleeful.

"When I came back to the room, Miki had used Aromatherapy. I could smell it." I packed up my medicine and bandages, as I obviously wasn't going to need it. Confusion warred with happiness that Kat wasn't hurt anymore. I settled for amused bewilderment.

"Miki! What a good girl!" Kat threw her arms around the Bayleef's neck. Victor still had a look of disbelief on his face.

"I didn't think that Pokemon healing moves worked on people." I nodded in agreement.

"Neither did I." Shrugging, I turned back to Kat. "Maybe you should go and wash that paste off, Kat." She grinned, rushing out the door with a great deal of enthusiasm. Her Pokemon, caught up in her excitement, trailed after her, cheering. As soon as she was out the door, I started changing into my travel clothes.

"Most other Pokemon moves can be used on humans. Sing, Confusion, Sleep Powder. I can only assume that a move like Aromatherapy could work on humans, if the need was great enough. And Miki _loves_ Kat, so I understand her trying her hardest to help Kat get better."

Victor sighed, running a hand through his hair. He opened his mouth, but Kat burst back into the room, grinning.

"What are you still doing in here? Come on Slowpokes, we've got to get to Azalea Town!"

"Kat, do you even know _how_ to get to Azalea?" The black-haired boy sounded exasperated. He knew the answer before he'd asked.

"No. Directions are Henri's department. He knows how to get there. Right, Henri?" With hands on her hips and a knowing smirk, Kat was a picture of self-satisfied confidence. I entertained the notion of telling her I didn't know how to get to Azalea, except her good mood was infectious. I laughed, instead.

"Yeah, I know how we can get there. We have to go through Union Cave. But first, I think we need to feed the Pokemon."

With a nod, she lead the way to the dining room while I finished getting ready, brushing my hair into a loose ponytail as I followed behind her.

"Will you quit messing with your hair? You're acting like a _girl_!" I glared at the other boy.

"At least I know what a brush is! And how to use soap!" In retaliation of the 'girl' comment, I stomped on the heel of his sneaker, causing him to pitch forward, on to the floor. He glowered at me, picked himself up and dusted off. "Also, you can't say I'm acting like a girl. Kat doesn't know what a brush is either."

"Kat hardly qualifies as a girl."

"I _heard_ that!" We both winced at the yell, and the glare that followed.

'_Good ears.'_ I heard the snickers of my Pokemon around me and I glared at them. "Traitors." Which just had the lot of them laughing even more.

The dining room had a few of the fishermen from yesterday, along with some other trainers I hadn't seen, but Micah wasn't anywhere to be found. When I asked Nurse Joy about it, all she could tell me was that Micah had left as soon as the sun had started rising, just like every other day before.

Kat's enthusiasm to get to the next Gym carried us through a fast breakfast. Even the Pokemon were pumped up. 30 minutes after waking up, we were walking out the door of the Pokemon Center. Seeing the canyon, red-gold in the rising sun, made me think of something.

"Hey, Victor. Did you want to try to catch a ghost-Pokemon in the canyon? It's not often that a swarm like that happens, after all." He shook his head, and headed off towards Union Cave, muttering something about 'Sprout Tower', 'stupid Sableye' and 'sick of ghosts'. I shared an amused look with Kat.

As far as I knew, Union Cave was a small, fairly straight-forward cavern. It would be hard to get lost in. It didn't take long to reach the cave entrance and, as luck would have it, Micah was there with Hawkin at her side. She waved, seeing us.

"Hey guys! You on your way to Azalea, too?"

"Yeah! I'm going to go get my next gym badge!" Her enthusiasm caused Hawkin to take flight with a loud screech. He circled above Micah, glaring at Kat. Micah giggled, and called Hawkin back down to her side.

"You too, huh?" Micah sighed. "That's my goal, as well." She didn't look particularly happy about it, I noted. I said as much. "Yeah, well…" She shrugged. "It's my dad who wants me to be a Pokemon Trainer, not me. I don't care about badges, or any of that."

"So, what do you want to be?" I understood parents wanting you to do what they always wanted you to, but I couldn't imagine not being myself.

"A Pokemon Ranger, like my brother Nathaniel. I want to go to the Pokemon Capture School in Almia. But Dad doesn't want me going that far away. He still thinks of me as 'his little girl'. He has my brothers constantly checking up on me, and they don't want me going out of the country either, even though one's _living_ in Almia and the other two have been as far as Sinnoh and Hoenn." She started pacing back and forth, ranting.

"Dad didn't even want me to get a Pokemon, so I had to sneak out and get one myself. How can he expect me to watch as all my brothers get Pokemon and not want one myself? It's ridiculous!" Micah growled, kicking the ground forcefully. Then she took a deep breath and calmed down. Turning back to us, she smiled.

"So now, I've got to complete the gym challenge. Prove that I'm old enough, strong enough to travel so far away. You're taking the Gym challenge too, right Kat? Then you're my rival!" Kat looked beyond confused.

"What? Rival?" Micah nodded.

"Yes, rival. All good trainers have a rival. And you're mine. We should probably battle now, but we gotta get though Union Cave first. No need to exhaust our Pokemon before traveling. So instead, let's battle on the other side of the Cave. I'll race you there! First person to reach the other side can set the parameters for the match, alright? And to make it even better, we'll take separate paths! You go through the cave, while I take the high road, over the cave!"

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Micah wasn't paying attention, already throwing her grappling hook above the cave. A loud, metallic 'thunk' resounded as the hook hit a boulder, securing the rope.

"Ready, rival? Set, go!" She started scaling the rope like a Mankey. We watched for a second, before Kat yelled.

"Well, what are you waiting for? She's not going to win this! Let's go!" And for the second time in two days, she raced off, into Union Cave.


End file.
